Netanyahu has been Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister, holding multiple terms from 1996 to the present.  What defines his political career is a free-market economy, his militant ideology, and some alleged legal issues.

Since its inception in 1948, Israel has had leaders whose conviction and devotion transformed that small country into a powerhouse.  In a modern society, with a growing economy and advanced technology, Netanyahu often prides himself on his country’s achievements and his ongoing efforts in that endeavor..

However, despite all its successes, Israel finds itself constantly under the threat of war, based on past war experiences and being surrounded by Arab nations that it perceives as hostile.  Instead, many observers view Netanyahu at the forefront of such a presumed hostility. 

For example, Netanyahu’s main rivals are Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah.  He is obsessed with wars, and he probably believes that by engaging senselessly in conflict with less powerful enemies and defeating them, he gets national attention as Mr. Security and a strong defender of Israel, a strategy that earns him more power and time in office.

Netanyahu often supports aggressive policies and war.  Even in peacetime, he provokes skirmishes with Hamas or Hezbollah, or some random bombing of Syria, or the intrusion of Mossad into any country of choice in the Middle East to kill political adversaries or to extract information.  He is also opposed to the creation of a Palestinian State and extends illegal Jewish settlements into Palestinian territory

In the last two 2 decades, Netanyahu begged several US Presidents to tag along with him in a conflict that would eventually dismantle the Iranian nuclear.  None of the US leaders consented but President Donald Trump.  As a result, wars in June 2025 and February 2026 ensued, and their aftermaths are being felt on a global scale.

Like many Israeli leaders before him, Netanyahu has the utopia of the Greater Israel that would extend its borders so far that most countries in the Middle East would be swallowed up to become an integral part of the Israeli regional empire.  Desperate, Palestinians cry out for a free Palestine, just like Lebanese and Syrians do for the return of their stolen lands.

Armed with the blind military and political support of the United States, Netanyahu feels powerful, and Israel becomes invincible.  Therefore, with such a power, peace doesn’t matter much.  Then, he opposed the 1993 Oslo Peace Accord (Palestinian statehood) and the 2018 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) (Iran nuclear). Sometimes, he creates scenarios about his enemies for personal salvation or to deflect public attention from his corruption charges.

His controversies and legal issues remain unresolved while he is still in charge as prime minister.  For example, it is alleged that Netanyahu has faced significant challenges, including an indictment on bribery, fraud, and breach-of-trust charges. His 2023 proposal to overhaul the judicial system sparked major domestic protests and deep societal division.

Following the October 2023 war with Hamas, the bombing of Gaza back to the Stone Age, and the butcher of 73,459 Palestinians with about 96,700 injured, The New York Times reported that prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced they were requesting arrest warrants for Netanyahu for war crimes.

Also, Netanyahu is probably responsible for thousands of Iranians who died in the last two wars.  In short, he has committed despicable war crimes, and he must be held accountable.   In our civilized world, such crimes could go unpunished only if the laws of the jungle were applied, with Gaza City, Tehran, or Beirut becoming the modern African Savannah.

On the other hand, Netanyahu has achieved some economic successes in Israel.  For example, he shifted Israel from a quasi-socialist to a free-market economy.  He also significantly increased GDP, reducing the debt-to-GDP ratio to one of the lowest in the world and achieving a record-high level of investment.  He, then, pushed through massive privatization of government-owned companies and reduced tax rates as a growth incentive.  

In the field of technology, Netanyahu strongly supported the high-tech sector, fostering an environment that made Israel a global cyber and innovation powerhouse.  He also pushed forward the development of offshore natural gas fields despite significant political opposition, which transformed Israel from a resource-poor country into an energy exporter.

During Netanyahu’s tenure as prime minister, he has achieved a political milestone that epitomizes economic growth and survival.  Meanwhile, Netanyahu has committed war crimes and has been indicted for fraud.  Without rushing to judgment, let history, instead, be the judge.

Source: Britannica.