Why Does Netanyahu Still Have the Support of a Quarter of Israelis?

Israeli writers, analysts, and diplomats have sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following his recent speech, in which he dismissed street protests demanding an immediate deal with Hamas to exchange prisoners, cease the war, and withdraw from the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza.

Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul in the United States and a diplomat who served as an advisor to previous Israeli prime ministers, labeled Netanyahu as a “despicable messiah leading a cult of lies and death” in an article for Haaretz.

Political analyst Amos Harel also stated, “While Israel burns with anger, Netanyahu lies and sentences the hostages to death” by inexplicably refusing to move forward with a deal that would return prisoners to their families.

Former Israeli General Yitzhak Brick wrote in Haaretz that “Israel will collapse, not Hamas, if the war on Gaza continues,” pointing out that the army is weakening day by day and will soon be unable to carry out its operations. He emphasized the need to end the war on Gaza to stop the fighting with Hezbollah.

“Israeli Hostages’ Blood is on Netanyahu’s Hands”

Alon Pinkas argues that despite Netanyahu’s numerous failures—including on Iran, the economy, and the cost of living, as well as the events of October 7—Netanyahu still commands the loyalty of over a quarter of Israelis, who support him unconditionally.

Pinkas highlights the shock, devastation, and disbelief among Israelis after hearing the news on Sunday about six hostages who were reportedly executed in cold blood by Hamas. The public is furious with Netanyahu for his reckless refusal to agree to a hostage deal, but they should not be surprised. Netanyahu never intended to agree to such a deal, as he has a vested interest in prolonging the war—it’s that simple. It’s tragic, inhumane, and infuriating, but straightforward.

For inexplicable reasons, the United States believed him, and most Israeli media played along with his lies. Even the Israeli negotiating team, which occasionally expressed frustration with Netanyahu, never publicly exposed the truth: he does not want any hostage deal that includes a ceasefire, which might signal the de facto end of the war in Gaza.

Pinkas adds that it is extremely difficult to find new ways, political psychological diagnoses, explanations, angles, or terms to describe Netanyahu’s inept performance as Prime Minister or his character traits. It seems everything has already been said and written.

For months, Netanyahu was warned that his evasive and deceitful hesitation in reaching an agreement was effectively sentencing the hostages to death. Even as recently as last Thursday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant unequivocally told him that his inexplicable and unjustifiable insistence on maintaining an Israeli presence in the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt was tantamount to a death sentence for the hostages. Netanyahu simply did not care.

Netanyahu deliberately and painfully ignored these warnings. A senior member of Netanyahu’s government told Haaretz on Sunday, “Netanyahu knew the Israeli hostages were living on borrowed time, their blood is on his hands.” The source, who remained anonymous as Pinkas notes, added that everyone knows Netanyahu is “narcissistic and cowardly. But his lack of humanity has been fully exposed in all its ugliness in recent months.”

“Netanyahu: Arrogant, False Messiah, Despicable Leader”

Pinkas states that “Netanyahu suffers from a severe case of bipolar political disorder. He is simultaneously a man with delusions of grandeur, seeing himself as the savior of Western civilization against ‘Islamic fascism,’ and a once-in-a-generation statesman whose contemporaries cannot fully appreciate him. Yet, he also perceives himself as a constant victim—anxious, prone to panic, and convinced of his political acumen, while incessantly whining about being wronged by an ungrateful world, and even less grateful Israelis, who fail to recognize his greatness.”

According to Pinkas, Netanyahu has a following of fake loyalists or impostors—charlatans who invoke quasi-religious fantasies to advance their fraudulent agenda. By almost every measure, Netanyahu is a false messiah—a despicable one, in fact—whether in his self-image or the sycophantic cult surrounding him. While he arrogantly views himself as a divine gift to the Jewish people and Western civilization, his dismal record in domestic, foreign, and security policy paints a starkly opposite picture in the most unflattering light.

In conclusion, the former Israeli diplomat states that “the gap between Netanyahu’s numerous failures and his support base (25-33% of Israelis) is astonishing. There are social, political, and cultural explanations, but the gap is so wide it bears all the hallmarks of a cult—a phenomenon akin to Jesus: he suffers for their sins, defends them, and stands by them. As a result, they have developed a ‘papal infallibility’ principle: as their Pope, he is immune from error when speaking from an official position. Now, these followers apply the same logic to his refusal to strike a hostage deal. They believe he is right in everything, while the majority of Israelis are still shocked by how far their country has declined.”

“Netanyahu Ignores Israeli Anger, Sentences Hostages to Death”

Amos Harel, writing for Haaretz, notes that the massive protests in Israel on Sunday night, after months of subdued demonstrations due to the ongoing war, offer renewed hope for those advocating for a deal with Hamas. Since October 7, protest organizations have struggled to rally the public to their various causes—from pushing for a deal to bring the hostages home from Gaza to ousting Netanyahu’s government.

The “Association of Hostages and Missing Persons” feared being too closely linked with Netanyahu’s opponents, but it has long been clear that the Prime Minister is not interested in reaching an agreement. Many who eagerly joined the protests against the judicial coup before the war now find it difficult to protest while their relatives and friends are killed in Gaza.

Harel observes that due to the shock caused by the killing of six hostages in Gaza, the ongoing debate, largely split along political lines between the right (especially the far-right Zionists) and center-left, has intensified. According to the latest polls, there is broad public support for a deal, while a clear majority also wants Netanyahu to leave political life.

After eleven months of fighting, the fault lines have become clear. Deal supporters primarily want to retrieve the hostages but also seek to end the war and, increasingly, to overthrow the government. Recently, opponents of the deal have portrayed Israel’s continued presence in the Nitsarim and Philadelphi Corridors in Gaza as critical to Israel’s security, even though these areas had hardly been mentioned in the previous 18 years. They also warn of Hamas remaining in power in Gaza and the renewed flow of weapons from Egypt to Gaza.

In practice, however, a deeper issue is at play. Many on the right, especially the far-right Zionists, see this as an opportunity to realize all their extreme fantasies—rebuilding settlements in Gaza, destroying the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and perhaps even forcibly evacuating and displacing its Palestinian residents.

Yet, under the guise of security interests, Netanyahu primarily protects his political position. He fights for the survival of his ruling coalition, which may collapse if any agreement is approved, says Amos Harel.

While his far-right partners vehemently oppose a deal, most ministers simply lack any civil courage. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is the only one working to save the hostages. His colleagues in the cabinet have already abandoned them.

“It’s Not Hamas That’s Collapsing, It’s Israel”

On Tuesday, September 3, 2024, former Israeli General Yitzhak Brick warned that Israel, not Hamas, will collapse if the war on Gaza continues. He noted that the army is weakening daily and will soon be unable to carry out its operations.

In an article titled “It’s Not Hamas That’s Collapsing, It’s Israel” in Haaretz, Brick argued that some people claim that withdrawing forces from Gaza after signing a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas would be seen as a defeat and surrender, and believe that withdrawal would lead to another attack similar to October 7, “expecting casualties to be ten times what we suffered on that day.”

However, the retired Israeli general stressed that these claims are based on a fundamental misunderstanding of what is happening in Gaza, fueled by exaggerations spread by political and military leaders to justify their actions and gain popular support for continuing the failing war. Brick added that “those who claim that ceasing hostilities means our defeat and surrender are the ones driving the military establishment towards collapse and the state towards downfall.”

He emphasized that the war’s objectives of “eliminating Hamas” and “freeing all hostages through military pressure” have not been achieved. “If we continue fighting in Gaza with repeated raids on the same targets, we won’t succeed in toppling Hamas, but we will collapse ourselves.”

Brick warns that the day will come when the Israeli army will no longer be able to remain in Gaza, as Hamas will continue to dominate there, whether in the underground city of tunnels stretching for hundreds of kilometers or above ground. The number of tunnels the Israeli army has destroyed is minimal, and the same applies to those beneath the Philadelphi and Nitsarim Corridors, used by Hamas to push weapons from Sinai to northern and southern Gaza. This situation is beyond the army’s ability to confront or end.

He added that “if the Israeli army is forced to halt its raids due to its decreasing strength, then the scene will be tragic for Israel and its people, and will forever be remembered as a major failure in the history of Israeli wars.”

Therefore, the retired Israeli general called for ending the war on Gaza, “in order to stop the bleeding of soldiers and resources and maintain the Israeli army’s integrity, preventing it from breaking and halting its activity.”

He concluded his article by stressing that continuing the war against Hamas without taking necessary measures would lead to the army’s collapse and “the defeat of Israel and its people.”