The disappointment with Benjamin Netanyahu is profound. Many of us hoped that the war in Gaza would end with renewed Jewish settlement, a permanent Jewish presence and a defensible security perimeter. Some were even prepared to consider direct American involvement.
The possibility of transferring Gaza’s population also disappeared. Donald Trump appeared willing to support the idea, but Netanyahu chose not to pursue it.
Instead, we have arrived at an almost absurd outcome. A strange international coalition of the radical left, Arab powers and Qatari money is helping shape Gaza’s future, while Israel appears unwilling to impose its own vision.
Netanyahu reached this point through the salami method. Each concession was introduced separately. Every retreat was delayed, repackaged and presented as temporary. At the same time, Netanyahu continued to market himself brilliantly to voters as the leader of the Israeli right.
In practice, however, his policy is one of endless delay that ultimately produces a left wing outcome.
This also traps the Israeli left. Netanyahu’s political logic is simple: “I am already identified as the right. Therefore, my opponents cannot attack me from the right, regardless of what I actually do.”
A strategically intelligent opposition would expose the absurdity of this arrangement. It would judge Netanyahu by his decisions rather than by his political branding.
In my assessment, Netanyahu will eventually withdraw from the Yellow Line, abandon any permanent Israeli military presence in Gaza and possibly surrender control of the Philadelphi Corridor. There will be another spin, another delay and another extension of the war. Yet the final result may still be an almost complete retreat from the principles originally presented to the Israeli public.
Netanyahu’s greatest political achievement has been convincing Israelis that his identity matters more than his policy. He remains described as a right wing leader even as his decisions repeatedly lead toward outcomes associated with the left.
That is not merely disappointing. It is astonishing.
