Who governs Israel and what positions do Netanyahu and Herzog hold?

The recent escalation in the decades-long conflict between Israel and Iran garnered significant media attention over the weekend as the world prepares for a possible response from Israel following Iran’s drone attack prompted by a targeted strike on Iran’s consulate in the Syrian city of Damascus. One of the key figures in this scenario is Benjamin Netanyahu, also known as “Bibi,” who currently serves as the Prime Minister of Israel. In the country’s short history, Netanyahu has served the longest in the role and has come under scrutiny in recent years after corruption charges were brought against him. He has been able to avoid paying any political price for the corruption allegations by securing the prime ministership by forming a coalition with members of the Israeli far right.

Who is Netanyahu?

Born just as the State of Israel was being founded in 1949, Benjamin Netanyahu has made his mark on the country’s history. Bibi is a right-wing nationalist Israeli politician who studied at prestigious institutions in the United States before entering politics in 1982. After holding diplomatic posts, he returned to Israel in 1988 to focus on local politics.

Netanyahu has served as Prime Minister of Israel on three occasions since the mid-1990s: from 1996 to 1999, from 2009 to 2021, and since December 2022. Tensions with the Palestinians, regional conflicts with Iran, and accusations of corruption have marked his time in office. When he won re-election close to a decade ago, Bibi ran on a platform that included a promise to block the establishment of a Palestinian state. To keep this promise, Bibi employed means that have now been seen as short-sided, ineffective, and a contributing factor to the October 7th attack because of how his actions worked to strengthen Hamas and other resistance groups in the Gaza Strip.

In 2019, in a closed-door meeting with Likud party members, he made his strategy clear, explaining that “anyone who wants to thwart the establishment Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas.” For the Prime Minister, Hamas has gone from Israel’s best weapon to avoid the creation of a Palestinian state to a terrorist group that must be eliminated at all costs after having been supported financially for years. In a recent poll conducted by the Times of Israel, 42 percent of those surveyed said that Netanyahu should “resign immediately,” with an additional 29 percent saying that “he should step down after the war concludes.” Even before the war, support for Netanyahu was wavering, with massive protests erupting in 2023 over a controversial judicial reform that would give Parliament more control over Israel’s judiciary. Now, many of his political rivals and their supporters are capitalizing on his low popularity and calling for elections to be held this year.

Isaac Herzog, President

The presidency in Israel is mostly ceremonial, but it does play a crucial role in deciding who will be given the mandate to form a government after the elections. The president also has the power to grant pardons, which could be relevant in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial.

Isaac Herzog, a well-known figure in Israeli politics, has been the president for over two years following his landslide victory against Miriam Peretz 27. Herzog, 60, comes from an influential family with a significant political and social legacy in Israel. His father, Chaim Herzog, was the country’s sixth president and had previously served as Israel’s representative to the UN. His grandfather, Rabbi Yitzhak Halevi Herzog, was the chief rabbi of Ireland and later served as the chief rabbi of the British mandate of Palestine. Despite his aristocratic background, Isaac Herzog has had a diverse career. He studied in the United States, served in an Army intelligence unit, pursued law, and then entered politics as a Labor party member.

After Iran’s response to Israel’s attack on its diplomatic facility in Syria, President Herzog has remained level-headed compared to members of the war cabinet. This weekend on CNN, he said that the government is “acting cool-headedly and lucidly,” adding that they are “operating in a very focused way and very responsible way, and I’m sure there will be a decision accordingly that will make sure that we protect and defend the people of Israel.”

Only time will tell if these words ring true or if the actions taken by the war cabinet lead to a further escalation with Iran, which could destabilize the region even further.