Controversy Project
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which continues to this day, has evolved into Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip and its annihilation of Hamas. The conflict has taken a heavy human toll**, turning the Gaza Strip into "the world's largest prison".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in a recent interview that Israel would assume "full security responsibility" for the Gaza Strip "indefinitely". This statement reflects Netanyahu's desire to completely eradicate Hamas through the current round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, so as to resolve once and for all the long-standing hostility towards Israel in the Gaza Strip.
However, in reality, the total elimination of Hamas is a daunting task, given the deep hatred of the entire population of the Gaza Strip against Israel and the entrenched influence of Hamas on the ground.
In fact, Netanyahu is a representative of the right-wing hardliners in Israel, who advocates a hardline policy on the Palestinian issue. This stance has to a large extent exacerbated the friction between Palestine and Israel in recent years, and eventually led to the outbreak of the current round of conflict.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of Netanyahu's motivations, it is necessary to review his life background and experiences. Only when we truly understand a person's growth trajectory and mental journey can we more accurately grasp the reasons behind his actions.
Since his first election as prime minister in 1996, Netanyahu has been re-elected as prime minister in 2009, with the exception of a nearly 10-year gap between 1999 and 2008. This means that he has ruled Israel for nearly 20 years and has become a veritable "king" of Israel.
In 1949, the year after the establishment of Israel, Netanyahu was born into a prominent Jewish family. His father, a Jewish historian, traveled between Israel and the United States for many years, was a professor of history at Cornell University, and was a staunch supporter of the Zionist movement. Not only did he actively lobby the U.S. Congress to support the Jewish Protest, but he also wrote the Hebrew Encyclopedia and co-founded the Zionist Organization.
Under the influence of such a family, Netanyahu was deeply influenced by Jewish history and culture from an early age, and his thinking was deeply imprinted. His father was convinced that the Jews had their roots in the historical Hebrew kingdom, which is now Palestine, and that the Arab Empire was the invader of the land. This idea took root in Netanyahu's mind and became the cornerstone of his later political stance.
At the age of 14, Netanyahu moved to the United States with his father, where he completed high school. Despite living in the United States for a long time, the family never sought to become an American citizen. In accordance with Israel's defense policy, Netanyahu returned to Israel to join the army after graduating from high school, and because of his outstanding performance, he entered the reconnaissance unit of the General Staff and began to get involved in military operations. During this period, the "terrorist activities" of the Palestine Liberation Organization became increasingly rampant, especially suicide attacks, which brought great panic to the Israeli military and civilians. This experience gave Netanyahu an in-depth understanding of Israel's defense system and earned him the rank of captain, while also deepening his understanding of Palestinian-Israeli relations.
In 1972, after retiring from the army, Netanyahu went to the United States to further his studies, studying at Cornell University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a bachelor's degree in architecture and a master's degree in management. He then studied political science at Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and returned to Israel after a stint at the Boston Consulting Group. This experience laid a solid foundation for his later involvement in politics.
However, an incident occurred in 1976 that completely changed the trajectory of Netanyahu's life. His brother was killed in an Air France airliner rescue operation and became the only member of the rescue team to die. The incident devastated Netanyahu and developed a deep hatred for terrorism. The suicide attacks of the Palestine Liberation Organization strengthened his resolve to eradicate terrorism. Since then, "counter-terrorism" has become an important theme in his political career. Years later, he ran for prime minister for the first time under the slogan "Netanyahu – a secure peace," underscoring his unwavering stance on the fight against terrorism.
Start a political career
After returning home, Netanyahu entered politics, joined Israel*** and founded the "Jonatan Netanyahu Anti-Terrorism Agency" under his brother's name, focusing on international counter-terrorism work. He served as a member and then director of the Executive Committee of the Universitarian Institute for Counter-Terrorism Research, demonstrating outstanding diplomatic and counter-terrorism skills.
With excellent diplomatic skills, Netanyahu was appointed Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations at the age of 35. During this time, he not only presented Israel's position and voice on the international stage, but also established close ties with numerous people in American political and business circles. Among them is Donald Trump's father, Fred Trump, a New York real estate businessman.
In 1988, Netanyahu returned to Israel, was elected to the Likud party, and successfully entered the Knespit. He began to hold key positions in Shamir**, breathing new life into Israel's political scene. Under his leadership, the Likud party became the largest party in parliament in that year's elections, further cementing its position in Israeli politics.
With the accumulation of political experience, Netanyahu was successively appointed as Israel's deputy minister and deputy prime minister, and gradually emerged. However, the real turning point in his political career came in 1996.
That year, Israel was in the midst of fierce fighting, and Labor Party leader Shimon Peres was in the lead in the election for a time. However, with a series of suicide** attacks by Hamas, panic in Israel and Peres' approval ratings began to slip. Netanyahu, drawing on years of experience in fighting terrorism, campaigned on the slogan "Netanyahu – for a secure peace" and stressed the need for the Palestinian National Authority to fulfil all its obligations to continue the peace process. This strategy won the favor of many voters, and with the help of right-wing political organizers in the United States hired by him, he finally succeeded in defeating Peres and was elected as Israel's twenty-seventh ** prime minister on May 29, 1996.
Netanyahu's election set two Israeli records: he became the youngest prime minister in Israel's history (47 years old) and the first leader born after the founding of the state of Israel (1948). Despite his hostility towards Palestine, he did not give up the possibility of seeking peace during his first term.
At that time, the leader of the Palestinian Authority was Yasser Arafat, who actively sought a peaceful settlement with Israel. Against this background, Netanyahu and Arafat have held several meetings and negotiations. In January 1997, the two sides signed the Hebron Agreement, whereby Israel handed over 80 per cent of Hebron to Palestine and withdrew its troops from the West Bank, marking important progress in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. In October 1998, Netanyahu and Arafat signed the Wye Memorandum, laying the foundation for peace and stability between Palestine and Israel.
However, Netanyahu's governing style has always been guided by the guiding ideology of "security for land". He used the withdrawal of troops as a bargaining chip to demand that the Palestinians crack down on terrorist organizations. Although this practice has promoted the peace process to a certain extent, it is also prone to exacerbate the extremist sentiments of the Palestinian nation, leading to retaliatory attacks by groups such as Hamas. Therefore, the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks during Netanyahu's first term have always been in a state of intermittent state, which can be called "incomplete peace talks".
Moreover, Netanyahu's governing style has allowed him to somewhat alienate right-wing supporters and voters who want long-term peace. This laid the groundwork for his later defeat. It is worth mentioning that Sharon, as the chief minister of Netanyahu at that time, strongly opposed the signing of the Wye memorandum, which also laid the groundwork for the impasse in the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.
Farewell**
In January 1999, Netanyahu was re-elected chairman of the Likud party, but Labor's majority in parliament made it difficult to implement many of his policies. Coupled with the opposition of the Wye memorandum from right-wing forces in the country, Netanyahu is facing enormous electoral pressure. He announced that it would be held 17 months earlier**, but was ultimately defeated by Labour leader Balack. The loss of the elections led to the loss of Netanyahu from the post of chairman of the Likud party, forced to take a break from the Knesset, and resign from the Knesset.
This period of his political career, though short, was a valuable experience for Netanyahu. He deeply appreciated the brutal political environment in Israel and the complexity of the contradictions between Palestine and Israel, which laid the foundation for him to become a more mature ruler in the future. At the same time, this defeat also greatly reduced his hopes and enthusiasm for Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, and heralded a change in his governing style in the future.
Make a comeback
Netanyahu, who left **, has not been idle, he works as a senior adviser at a communications company. However, he soon discovered that his interest was not here, and his desire to return to ** became stronger. So, he began to give lectures in Israel to promote his political ideas. These efforts eventually caught the attention of then-Israeli Prime Minister Sharon.
In November 2002, Netanyahu was appointed head of Israel's caretaker cabinet by Sharon, marking his return. In February 2003, he became Israel's Minister of Finance. Under Netanyahu's leadership, Israel's economy grew rapidly and unemployment fell sharply. This outstanding report card laid a solid foundation for his future political career.
In 2005, Sharon announced the launch of a unilateral action plan to withdraw Jewish settlers from Gaza. This decision sparked a stir within the Likud party, which then founded Kadima and announced its candidacy in 2006. Netanyahu resigned as finance minister for opposing this policy and announced his candidacy for the leadership of the Likud party and the prime minister of Israel. In December 2005, he was re-elected Chairman of the Likud Party.
In April 2006, when Sharon was unable to continue his duties due to health problems, his follower Olmert succeeded him and eventually led Kadima to defeat the Likud party in 2006** and become Israel's prime minister. Faced with defeat, Netanyahu chose to lie dormant and wait for his moment.
In 2008, Olmert resigned as prime minister and chairman of the Kadima Party over a corruption scandal, but remained in office until the eve of 2009. In 2009, in Israel, Netanyahu defeated Kadima Party Chairman Tzipi Livni and was elected as the new prime minister of Israel by Simon Peres. At this point, Netanyahu's era officially began.
The controversial path to power
The cornerstone of Israel's long-term rule lies in ensuring the security of its people, and this is Netanyahu's specialty. He has taken a tough stance on *** and Israeli-Palestinian issues, putting Israel's "security" at the forefront of any peace negotiations. He opposed the full independence of Palestine, continued to expand Jewish settlements, and sought to annex the Golan Heights. Netanyahu's goal is to establish a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state in order to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict once and for all.
During his tenure, suicide attacks against Israeli civilians have all but disappeared, ensuring security in Israel itself, despite the many armed conflicts that Israel has experienced. This also provided strong support for his multiple re-election as Israel's prime minister in 2013, 2019 and 2022.
However, Netanyahu's hardline policies have also caused widespread controversy in the international community. In 2014, after the outbreak of the conflict in Gaza, Israel carried out a large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip, resulting in a large number of Palestinian civilians** and straining Netanyahu and international relations.
At the international level, Netanyahu's relationship with Obama** is not harmonious, which has led to a cold relationship between the United States and Israel. However, since Trump took office, US-Israel relations have warmed up rapidly. Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, while widely criticized by the international community, was highly appreciated by Netanyahu.
In domestic affairs, Netanyahu has held a number of important positions and reused religious power in order to consolidate his power. This sparked discontent among European and American Jewish elites and exacerbated political divisions within Israel. At the same time, corruption has plagued Netanyahu's administration, and he has repeatedly faced investigations and accusations.
In recent years, Israeli politics has been mired in turmoil, with frequent elections and difficulties in reconciling the interests and ideas of various factions in the Knesset. This led to Netanyahu's repeated failed attempts to form a government and even briefly stepped down as prime minister.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict since October 2023 has made Netanyahu face strong condemnation from the international community. As of November 9, more than 12,300 people have been killed in the current round of clashes, including 10,812 in the Gaza Strip. This makes Netanyahu's prospects for power uncertain.
With the gradual intensification of internal contradictions and the continuous escalation of external wars, it remains to be seen whether Netanyahu will be able to continue to sit firmly on the "throne" or finally be analysed to end his nearly 20-year rule.