Netanyahu's renewed legitimacy
The international legitimacy enjoyed now by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will last for a short while only, unless he renews the diplomatic negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
On July 20, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released the heavy cost that Israel had paid at the beginning of the land operation in the Gaza Strip: 13 soldiers had been killed and dozens more were wounded. Shortly after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon held a news conference at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv. In the shadow of that bitter announcement, the event was a reminder of the fickleness in attitudes toward the conflict in Gaza, among the Israeli public at large but also among the political leadership.
Just two days earlier, politicians from the Likud Party and other right-wing parties were still tongue-lashing at the prime minister, accusing him of reluctance and cowardice, and of abandoning the residents of the south. At the time, political pundits explained that Netanyahu would pay a high electoral price among his right-wing voters for showing moderation in the use of military force. The situation was exacerbated by calls from Netanyahu’s main rivals in the nationalist camp, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman and Economy and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett, for a significant ground operation.
