Bibi on a string
The article claims that Benjamin Netanyahu is a weak leader, serving as a front for more extreme political forces, primarily Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. It cites polls showing a dramatic decline in Likud's power, from 32 seats to 18–22, and notes that the decline began with the judicial overhaul and did not change after October 7 and the war. The article emphasizes that Smotrich and Ben Gvir are the ones dictating policy.
The article claims that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a weak leader, acting as a front for more extreme political forces behind him, primarily Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir. It cites polls showing a dramatic decline in Likud's power, from 32 seats in the current Knesset to 18–22 seats in recent polls, and notes that the decline began with the judicial overhaul in early 2023 and did not change following the events of October 7 or the war. The article emphasizes that Netanyahu granted Smotrich and Ben Gvir control over key areas, and that they dictated the war policy and refusal of hostage deals. It concludes with recent examples of their influence, such as Netanyahu's promise that Ben Gvir would be a senior minister in the next government, and doubts raised by his office about settler violence incidents.