Israel is mired in a state of political paralysis yet again after its fourth election in less than two years. Much to the frustration of Israelis, a fifth election may be looming. Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing partners, nor his opponents on the right, center or left, won enough seats to cobble together […]
Israel’s year-long political crisis, the worst in its statehood, officially ended on May 17 when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national unity government was sworn in. Netanyahu will retain the premiership for 18 months, until November 17, 2021, and then switch roles with Benny Gantz, the alternative prime minister and defence minister. The formation of a power-sharing […]
Israel’s second election in five months has opened the door to the prospect of a legislated program of liberal reforms that could nudge the country toward greater secularization and grant the disaffected Arab minority a far more tangible stake in Israeli society. With the September 17 general election having ended almost as inconclusively as the […]
Benjamin Netanyahu marked a historic milestone on July 20 amid speculation whether he will still be Israel’s prime minister after the September 17 general election. Having held office for 4,876 days, or slightly more than 13 years, he surpassed David Ben-Gurion — Israel’s first and probably greatest leader — as its longest-serving prime minister. Netanyahu, a […]
When the Israeli journalist Anshel Pfeffer was researching his now-published biography of Benjamin Netanyahu, he requested interviews with him. All his requests, formal and informal, were ignored. But when Pfeffer — the Israel correspondent of The Economist — and senior editors of the British magazine met Netanyahu in his office one day, the Israeli prime minister turned […]
Benjamin Netanyahu, serving his fourth term since first being elected prime minister in 1996, is on course to set an Israeli record for political longevity. If he’s still managing Israel’s affairs of state in July 2019, he will surpass David Ben-Gurion in terms of time served in this position. Netanyahu also may be cruising toward […]
The prime minister of Israel doth protest too much. Benjamin Netanyahu reacted ferociously to the passage late last year of a United Nations Security Council resolution which condemned Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He was particularly angered by the decision of the United States –Israel’s chief ally — to abstain, thereby allowing the resolution […]
Michael Kirk’s Frontline documentary on the dysfunctional relationship between U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu at War, will be aired by the PBS network on January 5 at 9 p.m. (check local listings). It’s a timely, hard-hitting and important film about two leaders whose personal philosophies and world views diverge […]
The shaky relationship between Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu has grown progressively worse in the past three weeks due to Netanyahu’s hardline policies and cynical electioneering tactics and Obama’s cold calculation that he can politically afford to say and do what what he pleases in the homestretch of his presidency. And because both sides are convinced […]
He’s clawed his way back to power, and that’s bad news for Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu, having scored a decisive come-from-behind victory over Isaac Herzog in the March 17 general election, is poised to surpass David Ben-Gurion as Israel’s longest-reigning prime minister. Netanyahu is no doubt chortling, having upended pundits’ predictions that he would go down […]