Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister Israel has had, as well as its most disastrous for Jews and Palestinians alike.
The Gaza Strip has faded somewhat from global consciousness but remains in desperate shape with no clear path forward, while the West Bank endures brutal attacks by settlers that create a widening chasm between Israel and the rest of the world. All this is Netanyahu’s legacy.
Finally, polls suggest a chance that his malignant reign may come to an end with October’s election in Israel.
The question hanging over the region is whether, if he is ousted, what follows will be better. The answer I hear from experts is: Yes, maybe to a degree. Don’t expect a Palestinian state or a transformation. But the worst excesses and brutality might be reined in.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief, seems the most likely to lead Israel if Netanyahu proves politically mortal, and Eisenkot is by no means a dove. He is well known for helping to formulate the Dahiyeh doctrine: Respond to attacks with overwhelming, disproportionate destruction to create deterrence. It is named after the Beirut suburb where Israel applied it two decades ago, and it’s sometimes seen as a forerunner of Netanyahu’s demolition of Gaza.
