Netanyahu's Controversial Legacy: Empowering Hamas and Dividing Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing public anger and criticism as the country grapples with the aftermath of a massacre by Hamas gunmen and a Gaza war that has resulted in over 1,300 Israeli fatalities. Netanyahu's government is being accused of failing to anticipate the attack and dropping the country's guard. Public fury is further fueled by Netanyahu's self-styling as a national-security strategist and his religious-nationalist coalition's judicial overhaul drive, which has caused social polarization. A poll shows that a majority of Israelis want someone else as prime minister, and if an election were held today, Netanyahu's Likud party would lose seats while his main rival Benny Gantz's National Unity party would gain. Netanyahu has yet to take personal accountability for the failures, and his health and political future remain uncertain.