Five problems the Iran war could solve for Israel’s Netanyahu

Netanyahu has persuaded the United States to join Israel in open-ended strikes against Iran.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has succeeded where countless previous Israeli leaders have failed: persuading the United States to join Israel in launching open-ended strikes against its regional nemesis, Iran”

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The fighting has killed more than 1,400 Iranians and about 1,000 people in Lebanon, plus dozens in other regional countries due to spillover.

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Oil prices have reached new highs and US-Western diplomacy is strained over how to resolve the conflict.

Netanyahu presents the United States as a partner in a direct confrontation with Iran, weakening the Islamic Republic and bolstering Israel's regional dominance.

Netanyahu faces three corruption trials dating back to 2019.

Critics say he has used the Gaza war to delay hearings and shield himself from judgment.

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He urged President Isaac Herzog to pardon him so he could concentrate on the war, though the Justice Ministry said a pardon would be inappropriate while the trial continues.

In a March 12 news conference, he called the proceedings an 'absurd circus' and urged Herzog to wrap up the case to focus on defeating enemies and pursuing regional diplomacy.

Netanyahu’s coalition has pursued an overhaul of the judiciary, which opponents have rejected.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has succeeded where countless previous Israeli leaders have failed: persuading the United States to join Israel in launching open-ended strikes against its regional nemesis, Iran”

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Mid-March legislation would split the attorney general’s powers and give the government more control over the media.

The plan would also create a politically appointed panel to probe government failures ahead of the October 7 attack.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused extremists in the coalition of pursuing an extremist agenda during wartime.

Palestinian violence has surged in the occupied West Bank and Gaza remains under restrictive wartime conditions.

EU and UK demanded action to halt West Bank violence after six Palestinians were killed since Israel attacked Iran, with the toll rising to 11 since the war began.

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More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank since October 7, 2023.

The Tammun killings of the Bani Odeh family — Waad, Ali, and their children Mohammad (five) and Othman (seven) — drew international condemnation.

The UN warned that disproportionate action was being normalised and urged Israel to relax wartime restrictions to allow aid into Gaza.

Polls show Netanyahu’s wartime leadership boosting public confidence and fueling talk of early elections in the middle of the year.