Netanyahu fears voters more than courts, Israeli affairs editor argues

Nidal Kanaaneh's rapid-fire assessment links Netanyahu's political survival to the ballot box and the influence of his far-right allies.

Channel: Sky News Arabia Arabic channel ·

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The ballot box poses a greater immediate threat to Benjamin Netanyahu than the courts, argues Israeli affairs editor Nidal Kanaaneh, because remaining in power is central to the prime minister's hopes of resolving his legal predicament.

In a short question-and-answer segment on United Arab Emirates-based Sky News Arabia, presenter Nancy Tabet asks who actually governs Israel. Kanaaneh's answer is Netanyahu, but with the ideology of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. The two far-right coalition leaders serve as finance minister and national security minister, respectively.

Asked whether an election could produce an even more hard-line government, Kanaaneh describes the existing coalition as already at the lowest point. Yet he also sees room for Ben-Gvir's influence to grow: rather than merely deciding who takes power, he suggests, Ben-Gvir could eventually seek the leading role himself.

Kanaaneh is equally critical of Netanyahu's security record. He argues that Netanyahu lost on Gaza with the October 7, 2023 attack, and has failed to achieve a decisive outcome in the confrontation with Iran. These are the editor's assessments, rather than announcements of a military or political outcome.

The segment offers no firm prediction of when Netanyahu might leave office. Kanaaneh instead portrays him as poorly equipped for life outside power, concluding that the prime minister has become a security, political and strategic problem for Israelis.

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