Middle Israel: From Caesar to Netanyahu, Israel prepares to enter a post-charisma era - opinion

Amotz Asa-El argues that Israel is entering a post-charisma era as Benjamin Netanyahu's dominance wanes. Drawing on historical parallels from Julius Caesar to previous Israeli leaders, the opinion piece suggests that uncharismatic successors like Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett may achieve significant successes, as Eshkol and Shamir did after Ben-Gurion and Begin.

Amotz Asa-El argues that Israel is preparing to enter a post-charisma era as Benjamin Netanyahu's long political dominance wanes. The opinion piece draws a historical parallel between Julius Caesar and Netanyahu, citing 19th-century historian Theodor Mommsen's idealized portrait of Caesar as a 'statesman genius.' Asa-El contrasts this with post-WWII historians who viewed charisma as potentially dangerous. He notes that Israel has experienced two previous post-charismatic transitions—after David Ben-Gurion in 1963 and Menachem Begin in 1983—and that the uncharismatic successors, Levi Eshkol and Yitzhak Shamir, achieved significant successes. The writer suggests that Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett, as potential successors to Netanyahu, offer the kind of business-minded, humble leadership that a 'traumatized Israel' now demands. The article is an opinion piece by a Hartman Institute fellow and author.