Is Israel strong enough to go it alone?

Billboards feature Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud Party (left) and former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar Party (right), in the city of Kiryat Malachi, Israel, on Oct. 20. | REUTERS

Oct 25, 2026

It is a tragedy for Israelis and Palestinians alike that the state of Israel happens to be home to two extraordinarily charismatic populist politicians. The first is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The second is his national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir.

The word tragedy is cheapened by misuse, but in this case it fits — not only because of the scale of the damage that Israel’s government has already done since coming to power in 2022, but because should the pair win re-election this week, the damage can only deepen and will likely become irreversible.

By any measure, another Netanyahu victory should be inconceivable. Both he and Ben Gvir were in charge of Israel’s security on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas succeeded in what should never have been possible: a massed attack on Israeli soil by a vastly inferior military force.

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