News Article :- If Israel considers itself in a battle for its life, its longtime prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is battling for his reputation and his legacy.
After leading Israel for nearly 16 years in total and priding himself on bringing the country prosperity and security, Mr. Netanyahu, 73, now confronts the vivid failure of his own policies toward the Palestinians — presiding over what many Israelis are calling the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
The Hamas breakout from Gaza and incursion into Israel proper, killing hundreds of civilians as well as soldiers, is all but certain to mark Mr. Netanyahu’s legacy no matter the outcome of the fierce war he now promises against Hamas. On Tuesday, under pressure to do so, Mr. Netanyahu struggled to try to negotiate a unity government that included some of his main rivals, most of them experienced military officers. But disagreements continued over their demands for a smaller security cabinet to administer the war, which would sideline some of Mr. Netanyahu’s most controversial ministers.
Most assume Mr. Netanyahu will keep his post for now. But Moshe Yaalon, a former army chief of staff and minister of defense, demanded that Mr. Netanyahu pay the price of his failure and resign, he said in a Facebook post.
Amit Segal, a political columnist for Yedioth Ahronoth and one of the journalists considered closest to Mr. Netanyahu, said the prime minister could not escape blame for the systemic failure, and for a policy of tolerating Hamas to try to stabilize Gaza.
“I can’t tell when, but it will make it very difficult for him to survive politically,” Mr. Segal said.
After the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when Israel was also taken by surprise and attacked by Egypt and neighboring Arab countries, but successfully fought back, there were thorough inquiries and political consequences. “I think that, like 1973, this war will end without a single figure, both politically and militarily, in the place they were on Oct. 6,” Mr. Segal said.
“Israeli history teaches us that unsuccessful wars lead to a change in government,” he said. “Israeli history is clear about the future to come.”
How the war ends will matter, of course, but only up to a point. Even a smashing victory is not likely to erase the initial failure. But Mr. Netanyahu, a good politician, knows that Israel exists to defend the Jewish people. He knows that Israelis want to eradicate Hamas, and he is already casting aside his usual caution to try to lead a significant war in Gaza and, if necessary, in Lebanon. Only a successful war can mitigate the lasting damage already done.
“Right now, Netanyahu is focused on damage control,” said Mazal Mualem, who recently wrote a biography of the leader. “In my opinion, he understands that he won’t be able to continue after such a devastating failure and, therefore, he is focused on achieving military and diplomatic
