Benjamin Netanyahu: Politically Unbeatable

The Israeli politician was re-elected as the country's prime minister In November 2022. The 75-year-old Benjamin Netanyahu’s time in office has reinforced, among his supporters, the image that he is the most suitable leader to defend Israel. He is the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: AFP)

Benjamin Netanyahu in 1997 (Photo: AFP)

In 1999, he lost his post after calling early elections and being defeated by Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, who had previously been his military commander.

Political Rebirth

After his 1999 election defeat against Ehud Barak, Mr. Netanyahu withdrew from politics for a few years and resigned as Likud leader. He returned in 2001, following Ariel Sharon’s election as prime minister.

He first served as foreign minister, then as finance minister in Sharon’s government.

In 2005, Netanyahu resigned in protest against Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. That same year, Sharon left Likud to form a new centrist party, Kadima. Netanyahu reclaimed the Likud leadership and was re-elected prime minister in March 2009. He then held the office for a record 12 years, until 2021. After a brief stint in the opposition, he returned as prime minister in 2022. His approval ratings plummeted after October 2023, but later rebounded following a series of Israeli military successes—including the killings of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Hezbollah commander Hassan Nasrallah—as well as a widely supported ground offensive against Hezbollah.

The Gaza Strip

Palestinian attacks and Israeli military actions have repeatedly brought Israel into conflict in and around the Gaza Strip, both before and after Netanyahu's return to power in 2009. That year, the poitician publicly announced conditional support for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, but later hardened his stance. 

There will be no Palestinian state—not the way people talk about it. It’s not going to happen,

– he said in 2019, in an interview with an Israeli radio station. 

In an unprecedented move, Netanyahu eventually agreed to a 10-month freeze on the construction of West Bank settlements to facilitate peace talks with the Palestinians, but the negotiations collapsed by the end of 2010. Though Israel continued to receive strong backing from its closest ally, the United States, Netanyahu’s relationship with President Barack Obama remained tense, according to the BBC.

A low point came in March 2015 when Netanyahu addressed Congress, warning against a "bad deal" emerging from U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran. The Obama administration viewed his visit as foreign interference.

On October 7, 2023, Israel suffered the deadliest attack in its history when hundreds of Hamas militants crossed the border from Gaza.

Roughly 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. In response, Netanyahu declared war on Hamas—a conflict that is still ongoing, although recently, the two sides have successfully established a weeks-long ceasefire.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech from 3 days ago about the war, October 7th, antisemitism around the world, and pretty much anything you need to know, in English.

This is a must-listen.

May God bless this man.

pic.twitter.com/xmnGN8IYTh

— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) March 30, 2025

Netanyahu Maintained Close Political Ties with Trump

Donald Trump’s 2017 presidency brought the policies of the Israeli and U.S. governments into closer alignment. Within a year, Trump announced the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital—a move that sparked tensions across the Arab world. In January 2020, Netanyahu hailed Trump’s peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians as “the opportunity of the century,” although Palestinians dismissed the proposal as one-sided and irrelevant. Netanyahu also backed Trump’s approach to Iran and praised his 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear deal and reimposition of sanctions.

During Trump’s second term, the close relationship continued.

Shortly after his re-election, Netanyahu became the first foreign leader received by Trump at the White House. The issues concerning the Gaza ceasefire, U.S.–Israel strategic relations and Iran featured prominently during their first discussion.

As the re-elected president of the United States, Donald Trump played a key role in securing the early-2025 Gaza ceasefire, for which Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu publicly thanked him.

Netanyahu praises Trump:

“You are the greatest friend Israel has ever had in the White House.”

pic.twitter.com/OwILnw8xEF

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) February 5, 2025

International Criminal Court Warrant

Benjamin Netanyahu became the fourth world leader to face an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity—joining Russian President Vladimir Putin, Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, and Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi.

The arrest warrant concerns Israel’s military actions against Palestinians, beginning with Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.

PM Netanyahu denounced the ICC’s decision as antisemitic and rejected the arrest warrant, which also targeted former Israeli defense minister Yoav Galant on war crimes charges.

The ICC’s move sparked outrage across Israel, where PM Netanyahu is a deeply polarizing figure. Even his political opponents called the court’s decision unconscionable. As members of the ICC in The Hague, 124 countries—including nearly all of Israel’s allies except the United States—are, in principle, obligated to arrest Mr. Netanyahu or Mr. Galant if they enter their territory.

Orban Backed Netanyahu 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stood by PM Netanyahu, inviting him to Hungary in December of last year. Netanyahu thanked Mr. Orban for the invitation, praising him for “moral clarity” and standing up for truth.

Thank you, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, for your heartfelt support for me and for Israel. In contrast to those whose disgraceful weakness enables an outrageous decision against Israel’s right to self-defense, Hungary—like our American friends—has shown moral clarity and stood up for justice and truth,

– PM Netanyahu wrote, in response to PM Orban's invitation letter. 

Hungary-Israel Relations Longstanding and Unwavering

Under Netanyahu’s leadership, Hungary and the Jewish state have deepened their relationship. Trade and cultural ties between the two nations remain strong. Several surveys also rank Hungary as one of the safest countries in Europe for Jews. Recently, Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok hosted Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Budapest. After their meeting, Mr. Sulyok emphasized that Hungary firmly rejects all forms of antsemitism—an issue that also ranked high on the agenda during Hungary’s rotating presidency of the European Union.

Cover photo: Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: AFP)