TEL AVIV — Benjamin Netanyahu may yet survive his lackluster performance in Israel’s election Tuesday. But the one-man rule that marked most of his time in office is likely over.
Known by fans as “the Wizard” for his mastery of political manipulation, the prime minister is fighting to remain in office — and out of jail. He’s already offering to share power with his main rival, former Army Chief of Staff Benny Gantz. For the first time in a decade, people here are starting to contemplate what a post-Bibi Israel would look like.
Netanyahu, 69, has been at the top for 10 consecutive years and an earlier three-year stint, having served as prime minister longer than anyone in the country’s history. Now even opponents who constantly highlight his failures pay homage to unmatched skills.
A master communicator, a political pro who has improved the Israeli economy by leaps and bounds, Netanyahu has also adeptly navigated Arab enmity without too much bloodletting while expanding Israel’s global reach.
When he last assumed office, in 2009, Israel’s gross domestic product was $207 billion. A decade later it’s nearly doubled to $390 billion. Making Israelis wealthier helped Netanyahu maintain power. Few here miss the country’s earlier days of a socialist-oriented economy. Despite ballooning deficits and a widening wealth gap, Bibinomics are here to stay.
So is, likely, Netanyahu’s aversion to bold moves. The prime minister scoffs at predecessors’ attempts to make peace with Palestinian leaders, arguing they always lead to terroristic bloodshed.
After ceding authority over parts of Hebron in his first stint as Prime Minister, Netanyahu largely stayed away from any concessions leading to ceremonial handshakes with Palestinian leaders. Instead, he merely encouraged quiet cooperation with the Palestinian Authority’s security forces, keeping Hamas from creeping into power in the West Bank.
Despite his ultra-hawkish image, Netanyahu’s decade was marked by military caution. Rather than risking an all-out war with Iran by attacking its nuclear facilities, he preferred pinpoint strategic attacks against Iranian and proxy targets across the region.
For a decade now Israel has tried to contain its enemies, instead of ending disputes through diplomacy or war. Even as terrorist pestering of Israeli border towns near Gaza persisted, he steadfastly resisted calls to “finish Hamas off once and for all.”
The region’s Sunni rulers, for one, became convinced that Israel knows what it’s doing. They soon recognized a partner in Bibi’s Israel against their common foes — Iran and Islamist extremism.
Unprecedented public handshakes with Gulf emirs and quiet intelligence and resource sharing with countries from North Africa to the Arabian peninsula became the norm even as Bibi befriended India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and recently signed a trade deal with South Korea. Other Asian, African and Latin American leaders flocked to Israel in impressive numbers.
Netanyahu’s communication skills, in Hebrew and English, and his mastery of television and social media helped. They’ve also kept him in power.
Yet, Bibi fatigue is real. Israel’s democracy has no term limits, but eventually even a most beloved leader starts wearing thin on the public. And Netanyahu is far from universally loved. He has a knack, for one, of turning avowed allies into bitter enemies.
Indeed, several leaders of Blue-White, Gantz’s party that ran on a dump-Bibi platform, are former close allies. So was Avigdor Liberman, a former Bibi confidante who can now secure his hold on power but won’t coalesce with him.
Bibi fatigue is influenced by many factors, including the increasing prominence of his wife, Sara. Sheldon Adelson, the American casino mogul and Netanyahu’s top political benefactor, reportedly told Israeli police investigators recently she’s “completely crazy,” and denounced her undue influence over the Prime Minister’s decisions.
Police investigations into Bibi’s alleged corruption will reach a crescendo on Oct. 3 with a crucial hearing to decide whether to indict the prime minister. Bibi denies any wrongdoing. Opponents now accuse Bibi of holding onto power simply because the premiership affords him immunity.
True, Bibi still has many fans. And he may yet survive for a few more months. But as one man told me at a Tel Aviv voting booth Tuesday, “It’s like that song by Netanyahu’s namesake, B.B. King: The Thrill is gone.”