Netanyahu's last card — what he's holding in reserve
A column by Israel Ziv (Maariv) analyzes the political situation in Israel ahead of the 2026 elections. The author claims that Netanyahu's government has shifted from a policy of 'calm at any price' to 'war at any price' without a strategic goal, exhausting military achievements. It mentions a triple failure: nurturing Hamas, the October 7 defeat, and a return to security zones. It notes that Donald Trump is blocking Netanyahu's attempts to escalate the situation in the region.
A column by Israel Ziv, published in Maariv and republished by Cursor Info, presents a sharp critique of Benjamin Netanyahu's government ahead of the 2026 elections. The author argues that the government has moved from a policy of 'containment' and 'calm at any price' to the opposite extreme—'war at any price'—with both strategies united by a lack of clear political goals. According to the author, this leads to the exhaustion of military achievements and the loss of regional opportunities. Ziv accuses the government of a triple failure: nurturing Hamas as an asset, the October 7 defeat, and a return to the concept of security zones in Gaza and Lebanon, setting Israel back 26 years. The column also notes that US President Donald Trump is blocking Netanyahu's attempts to escalate the situation in the Middle East, and that the expected 'victory tour' with Trump will not happen. The author concludes that the decision about Israel's future will be made at the ballot boxes in six weeks.