Family

His political worldview was deeply influenced by his family history, particularly by his father, Benzion Netanyahu, who was a prominent historian of Spanish Jewry and a staunch Zionist activist [13,16]. Benzion viewed Jewish history as a constantly repeating cycle of attempts at extermination, from the Romans through the Spanish Inquisition to the Nazis [13]. This strict view of revisionist Zionism convinced Benjamin, who was born in 1949, that the only way to save the nation was through a strong state in which Jews could uncompromisingly defend themselves physically [15,20].

The future prime minister was also influenced by his older brother Jonathan, who fell in 1979 as the commander of the commando unit that freed hostages from a hijacked plane in Entebbe, Uganda (the only Israeli military casualty of an otherwise highly successful operation).

Political Success

Netanyahu’s political career began to gain momentum in the 1980s, when he served as Israel’s ambassador to the UN and deputy head of the mission in Washington [16]. He was first elected to the Knesset in 1988 as a member of the right-wing Likud party and quickly established himself thanks to his oratory skills [15,16]. In 1996, he surprisingly won the election and became not only the youngest prime minister in Israel’s history, but also the first to have been born after the state’s founding in 1948 [16].

Although he lost the premiership after his first term in 1999, he did not give up and, after serving in the ministries of foreign affairs and finance, announced a successful return [2,5]. He completed his grand comeback to the head of the government in 2009 and has maintained power ever since, losing it only briefly in 2021–2022 [16]. He achieved this political longevity thanks to a carefully crafted image as the “Security Chief,” who cast himself in the role of Israel’s sole protector [16].

Iran Will Not Obtain a Nuclear Bomb

Since the 1990s, Netanyahu has focused primarily not on resolving the Palestinian issue, but on the threat posed by Iran and its efforts to acquire a nuclear bomb [13]. He views Tehran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons as an existential threat to Israel and regards stopping this program as his life’s mission [20]. He sees himself as a leader in the mold of Churchill, who, thanks to his toughness, is the only one capable of confronting this existential enemy [19].

In his efforts to block Iran, he did not hesitate to stand up even to key allies, for example, when he sharply criticized the Barack Obama administration and called the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program a historic mistake [2,20]. Under his leadership, Israeli intelligence services infiltrated a secret warehouse in Tehran, from which they stole the nuclear archive, thereby, according to him, setting back the Iranian program by ten years [2,20]. This aggressive strategy culminated in June 2025, when Israel directly attacked Iran’s nuclear program with the promise that the operation would continue until the threat subsided [2].

Corruption

While he appears as an unflinching leader on the international stage, at home he is waging a desperate struggle for his own freedom and political survival. In 2020, he became the first sitting Israeli prime minister to stand trial as a defendant in a criminal case [10]. He faces serious charges of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust in three corruption scandals known as Cases 1000, 2000, and 4000 [4].

At the heart of these charges are lucrative gifts from wealthy businessmen and alleged regulatory concessions to media moguls in exchange for positive PR [4,11]. Case 4000 is considered the most serious, as it directly involves corruption charges related to the telecommunications company Bezeq and its owner [4,17]. Netanyahu denies all charges and has long characterized the entire process as a political witch hunt [2,5].

Many analysts point out that these domestic legal problems and his immense fear of imprisonment directly influence his strategic and military decisions. Accusations are emerging that Netanyahu is deliberately prolonging the devastating wars in Gaza and Lebanon to maintain power and avoid further prosecution [15,16]. Keeping the country in a state of war seems to be the best way for him to remain in office and resist pressure to step down [7].

The trial itself has been dragging on for years and has been repeatedly interrupted, first due to the pandemic, later due to the war in Gaza, and recently due to the conflict with Iran [21]. His legal team regularly asks the courts to cancel hearings due to the prime minister’s top-secret diplomatic and security duties during times of crisis [8]. These conflicts provide him with a legitimate basis for postponing hearings, and the end of this judicial marathon is not yet in sight [14,16].

Gaza Poses a Threat to the Future

However, aggressive foreign policy and protracted wars are causing a sharp decline in international support for Israel and provoking strong opposition. In recent public opinion polls across 24 countries, a majority of respondents held a negative view of Israel, and only a small fraction trusted Netanyahu [6]. The youngest generation, aged 18 to 34, in wealthy Western countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom expresses enormous distrust toward his policies [6].

The scale of civilian casualties—with reportedly up to 80,000 people killed in the attacks on Gaza—brought international condemnation upon Israel and left the country in diplomatic isolation [16,18]. Moreover, the events of October 7 demonstrated that Netanyahu’s entire long-standing security doctrine was flawed and collapsed like a house of cards [7]. Even the citizens of Israel themselves now perceive this isolation, with as many as 58% of them believing that their country is no longer respected in the world [6].

In the long term, such a style of governance could realistically threaten the very existence of the Jewish state if it permanently loses the West’s sympathy. Although Netanyahu had previously celebrated successes in establishing relations with Arab states through the Abraham Accords, the war has complicated everything [1,7]. Moreover, his disregard for the Palestinian issue and his push for a controversial judicial reform have deepened internal polarization in society to a level the country has never experienced before [3,7].

Freedom or prison?

As for the prime minister’s personal prognosis, the threat of losing his freedom at the end of his life is extremely real for him. If the court finds him guilty of accepting bribes in Case 4000, he faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years [10,21]. In a desperate attempt to avoid prison, he has reportedly already asked President Yitzhak Herzog for a pardon without admitting guilt, which would be unprecedented under Israeli law [10,21].

The situation is further exacerbated by international justice, which has significantly restricted his ability to travel the world. In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity [2,16].

Since Israel has in the past sent its former leaders to prison for corruption (in 2010, former President Moshe Katsav was even sentenced to seven years for rape and obstruction of justice—he ultimately served 5 years and 15 days), Netanyahu realizes that the only way to avoid ending up behind bars is to maintain his position of power at all costs [12,19].

List of References

[1] Netanyahu's Government and Relations with the Arab Periphery | The Washington Institute https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/netanyahus-government-and-relations-arab-periphery

[2] Benjamin Netanyahu Fast Facts | CNN https://www.cnn.com/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-fast-facts

[3] Prime Minister Netanyahu, Please Stop the Legislation; Save the Economy - The Israel Democracy Institute https://en.idi.org.il/articles/50572

[4] Israel’s Netanyahu appears in court for 86th time in corruption trial https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-s-netanyahu-appears-in-court-for-86th-time-in-corruption-trial/3934949

[5] Benjamin Netanyahu: Prime Minister of Israel, Background, Facts https://www.biography.com/political-figures/benjamin-netanyahu

[6] Global views of Israel and Netanyahu, spring 2025 | Pew Research Center https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/06/03/most-people-across-24-surveyed-countries-have-negative-views-of-israel-and-netanyahu

[7] Israel’s Bonaparte https://catalyst-journal.com/2024/06/israels-bonaparte

[8] Benjamin Netanyahu corruption trial delayed on diplomatic and security grounds | Benjamin Netanyahu | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/30/benjamin-netanyahu-corruption-trial-delayed-ntwnfb

[9] Prime Minister of Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu | Springer Nature Link https://link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/978-981-16-2717-0_52-1

[10] EXPLAINER - Trial of a sitting prime minister: The cases threatening Netanyahu’s future https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/explainer-trial-of-a-sitting-prime-minister-the-cases-threatening-netanyahu-s-future/3913232

[11] Netanyahu takes stand in corruption trial - ABC listen https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/am/netanyahu-takes-stand-in-corruption-trial/104711178

[12] Israel's Netanyahu enters plea in court in corruption trial https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55949391

[13] Israel’s ‘Iron Wall’: A brief history of the ideology guiding Benjamin Netanyahu https://theconversation.com/israels-iron-wall-a-brief-history-of-the-ideology-guiding-benjamin-netanyahu-225936

[14] Halt to Iran attacks means Netanyahu's corruption trial will resume on Sunday https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/halt-iran-attacks-means-netanyahus-corruption-trial-will-resume-sunday-2026-04-09

[15] Benjamin Netanyahu – Part one … - Origin Story - Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/benjamin-netanyahu-part-one-making-enemies/id1624704966?i=1000676663211&l=ko

[16] Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's controversial leader - BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-18008697

[17] Netanyahu's criminal trial to resume Sunday after wartime court freeze https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/benjamin-netanyahu/article-892469

[18] Benjamin Netanyahu | Biography, Education, Party, Nickname, & Facts https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-Netanyahu

[19] Q&A: Benjamin Netanyahu’s calculated caution | July | 2025 | Brandeis Stories | Brandeis University https://www.brandeis.edu/stories/2025/july/mirsky-netanyahu-calculated-caution.html

[20] “Bibi: My Story,” Benjamin Netanyahu On His Life And Times | Hoover Institution “Bibi: My Story,” Benjamin Netanyahu On His Life And Times https://www.hoover.org/research/bibi-my-story-benjamin-netanyahu-his-life-and-times

[21] Netanyahu’s Testimony in Criminal Trial Cancelled Again for “Security Concerns” https://truthout.org/articles/netanyahus-testimony-in-criminal-trial-cancelled-again-for-security-concerns