The run-up to Thursday’s cease-fire agreement with Hamas was not smooth for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel.
After railing against a Palestinian state at the United Nations, he was made to accept at least the eventual possibility of such a state just three days later at the White House. When Hamas’s acceptance of President Trump’s plan to the end the Gaza war came with so many caveats that his allies saw it as a rejection, Mr. Netanyahu was pressured into going along with it anyway.
And after promising Israel a “total victory” that would ensure Gaza could “never again” threaten them, Mr. Netanyahu agreed on Thursday to pull its military back before Hamas had assented to any form of disarmament, let alone to surrendering or relinquishing its role in governing Gaza.
Still, Mr. Netanyahu gets to welcome home all of Israel’s hostages, delivering Israelis the relief and closure that they have craved. An expected visit by Mr. Trump would allow him to bask in the glow and reflected glory of a national celebration. And he is already alluding to the possibility of bigger and better things for Israel.
“God willing, we will continue together in order to achieve all our aims and expand the peace with our neighbours,” he wrote on X a few hours after the deal was sealed in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
For Mr. Netanyahu, who faces elections no later than October 2026 — though they could take place sooner if his government falls or he chooses to accelerate the timetable — the turnabout in fortunes is stark, said Asaf Shariv, a political analyst and former Israeli diplomat. “If he could make the next election happen in a week, he would take it,” he said.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The post Freeing Hostages Could Transform Netanyahu’s Political Fortunes appeared first on New York Times.
