PNN – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is struggling to hold on to power in the fall elections, now faces a serious challenge in the form of the “interim US deal with Iran.” The deal has further shaken his hopes of stabilizing his position, especially as he faces growing criticism for security failures since the October 7, 2023, invasion and the endless wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network; Benjamin Netanyahu, 76, confirmed this week that he intends to run for re-election in the October election. But the Trump administration’s Iran deal has added a new complication to his campaign.
The US president has decided to end the wars in Iran and Lebanon long before Israel achieves its stated goals, making Netanyahu’s March claim that “we are changing the face of the Middle East” seem more hollow than ever.
Netanyahu, who still faces corruption charges, domestic political turmoil and fierce criticism over security failures in the October 7 attack, must now face voters’ judgment on how he has handled the wars and relations with the United States, his most important ally.
Polls suggest his right-wing coalition is on track to fail, but in the parliamentary system that Netanyahu has dominated for long stretches since the 1990s, few Israelis see him as completely out of touch and believe he still has the skills to form new governments.
Lack of Sustainable Victories
The Likud party portrays Netanyahu as a “security hawk” who has blocked the creation of a Palestinian state while simultaneously emphasizing the need to attack Iran and its proxies. However, his hawkish image has been tarnished by security failures before the Hamas attack—for which Netanyahu has denied responsibility—and wars that, despite military successes, have yielded no sustainable victories.
Tens of thousands have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza and Lebanon, and Israel’s military casualties are at their highest level in decades. “Netanyahu lost the war,” said opposition leader Yair Lapid, after Trump imposed a new ceasefire as part of the Iran deal. He broke his promises and collapsed at the moment of truth.
Netanyahu sees the criticism as part of a campaign to belittle Israel’s achievements, warning of the Iranian nuclear threat: If we had not acted in time and with decisive force, we would not be here today.
Diplomatic tensions and international crises
The widespread destruction in Gaza has led to international accusations of genocide against Israel, which Tel Aviv denies. Netanyahu has also called the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for him on war crimes charges “ridiculous.”
As he tries to win Western support, he has repeatedly angered US presidents and world leaders. Biographers have reported that Joe Biden has referred to him in very harsh terms in private. Donald Trump reportedly called him “crazy” in a phone call in June.
Netanyahu, who became Israel’s youngest prime minister in 1996, has eliminated many rivals over the years by forming coalitions and ruthlessly abandoning former allies. However, given the serious damage to Israel’s standing in the West, his political legacy now faces more difficult and serious challenges than ever.