Hamas’ terror raid on Israel on 7 October shattered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s image as “Mr Security”, the leader prepared to take the hard decisions to keep his country safe.
The catastrophic failure to protect his fellow citizens caused an immediate plunge in his popularity. There is a general view in Israel that when the current high-intensity assault is over he will be toast. In opinion polls, three in four Israelis want Netanyahu out. Deprived of the protections of office, he could find himself fully exposed in the trial for corruption, which is already scheduled to step up to four days a week next month after a slow down for the emergency.
