Today marks 100 days since the Hamas attack on Israel. Since then, nearly 24,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli counteraction in the Gaza Strip. Israel received strong international criticism for this, but that did not prevent the government from continuing the operation.

The government also receives criticism from Israel itself, but it mainly focuses on the failure to maintain the country’s security. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in particular is facing difficult times and bears part of the responsibility for Hamas attacks. Is this the end of his political career?

The fact that the Israeli security services were completely surprised by the Hamas raid led to harsh reactions on the same day. Experts spoke of “unprecedented failure on many different levels.”

It appears that Israel underestimated Hamas, and the Prime Minister is primarily responsible for this mistake. “He has always presented himself as someone who will keep Israel safe from Palestinian terrorism, from Iranian nuclear weapons, or, as is the case now, from Hamas attacks,” said Michael Koplow, an expert on Israel at the American Jewish Israel Policy Forum. “If you’ve always said that, and now you’re facing the most serious security crisis ever, it’s hard to maintain that reputation.”

The Israelis seem to agree. according to Poll from January 2 Only 15% of the population wants Netanyahu to remain prime minister after the war.

But at the moment there are no elections yet and Netanyahu can stay in place. Journalist and political analyst Mazal al-Muallem said: “The Israelis want him to leave or resign after the war, but now most people do not want elections yet.” “Netanyahu knows that too.”

Al-Muallem has spent years studying Netanyahu and his motivations. I wrote a book about it. She says that Israel’s longest-serving prime minister was often on the brink of collapse, and was always able to survive with political dexterity.

A good example of this, according to Al-Muallem, was the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995. Netanyahu, the then opposition leader, was accused of fanning hatred toward Rabin, his left-wing political opponent, in the period leading up to the assassination. . Al-Muallem: “After the assassination, Netanyahu’s popularity declined at the polls and he was unable to walk in the streets. His party, Likud, wanted to get rid of him. But he remained steadfast in his position. Eight months after the assassination, he was able to defeat Rabin’s successor, Shimon Peres.”

This time, the accusations against Netanyahu are greater. Israeli residents hold him partly responsible for the deaths of 1,200 people in Hamas attacks and for the 130 people still held hostage. This weekend, large demonstrations broke out again demanding their release and Netanyahu’s departure.

However, Al-Muallem believes that Netanyahu’s popularity could quickly rise again. “The group demonstrating against Netanyahu has been the same for years. The general public is more worried about their children in the army or themselves. Most people want unity above all else.”

The fact that the end of the war is not yet imminent should not be a bad political outcome for Netanyahu, says Koplow, the Israeli expert. “The Israelis do not want him to leave in the middle of the war. Only when the war calms down and there is room to talk about the future will his position be in jeopardy. So it is essential for him to never go to that next phase of the war.” To go to war.”

Al-Muallem agrees that Netanyahu will do everything in his power to be re-elected. “Netanyahu, as the son of a historian, always keeps in mind how he will be perceived later. He refuses to leave the world stage in this way. He will postpone the elections and run for president again.”

But Al-Muallem does not believe that prolonging the war will improve Netanyahu’s chances. “A long war without a clear goal leads to demonstrations. He doesn’t want that. He wants to create a safe situation and present himself as the man who saved Israel in its most difficult moments.”

Koplow cannot imagine that Netanyahu will succeed. “He has lost forever the title he gave himself (Mr. Security). A political future for him seems unthinkable after October 7.”