Election in Israel: “King Bibi” polarizes – will he prevail again?

Israel elects new parliament "King Bibi" polarized - will he prevail again? As of: October 27, 2026 • 1:11 p.m

Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled Israel longer than any other politician before him. Today voters will decide whether another term will be added. It is a vote on a prime minister who polarizes the country like no other.

Anyone who speaks to people in the pedestrian zones of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv these days about the Knesset election is experiencing a deeply torn country. The rifts run across families, circles of friends and society as a whole. And for years now, a single name has stood at the epicenter of this rift: Benjamin Netanyahu.

To his loyal supporters, the Likud party establishment and the religious-national right, he is simply "King Bibi," the irreplaceable leader and trusted protector of the Jewish people. His critics, on the other hand, see him as a ruthless power politician driven by pure self-preservation. A man for whom his own political survival and remaining in office have long been more important than the well-being and democratic stability of the state.

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Since the beginning of his career, Netanyahu's political DNA has been inextricably linked to a central promise: security. He masterfully portrays himself as the only leader of Israel who has the courage and strategic toughness to confront the existential threats in the region and, if necessary, the entire world public.

Just a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister demonstrated how deep this self-image runs at the United Nations in New York. Right at the beginning of his speech - dozens of diplomats had recently left the hall - he ostentatiously put diplomatic etiquette aside and shouted to the delegates in the hall: "If there are any other moral cowards here who have not yet left the room, please do so now. Thank you."

It is precisely this uncompromising, often confrontational rhetoric that resonates with a large portion of the Israeli population. In a region marked by constant geopolitical turmoil, millions of Israelis long for a strong hand.

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After the collective trauma of the past few years - especially after the devastating terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023 - Netanyahu is positioning himself even more vehemently as the unshakable bulwark against Israel's enemies.

He portrays himself as a leader who shows no weakness in the crisis and sees the bitter struggle on several fronts as a historical mission. "Our people are strong. The Israelis are a nation of lions with unlimited determination to defend our country and secure our future," Netanyahu emphasizes again and again in his martial speeches to the nation:

For the right-wing conservative voter base, "Bibi" is the only politician who is prepared to complete military operations despite international pressure and diplomatic warnings from Western allies.

His supporters give him great credit for his consistent actions over the past few months: the destruction of Hezbollah's infrastructure in southern Lebanon, the pushing back of Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the direct military strikes against the regime and its representatives in Tehran. In their eyes, Netanyahu is waging an existential defensive battle in which compromises mean mortal danger.

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However, for the opposition and the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have been taking to the streets regularly for months, this portrayal of a strong father is just a facade. They look with horror at the deep domestic political upheavals that Netanyahu's reign has brought to the country.

The most massive social protest in the state's history was sparked by the highly controversial judicial reform pushed forward by his coalition. Critics, lawyers and large sections of the high-tech and military elite accuse Netanyahu of deliberately restricting the independence of the courts and thereby systematically undermining democracy and the rule of law in Israel.

Added to this are the corruption trials for fraud, breach of trust and bribery that have been simmering for years and are placing a heavy personal burden on the Prime Minister. The issue is making international waves: Even his close political ally, US President Donald Trump, intervened and publicly called for a pardon for the Israeli head of government during a speech to the Knesset.

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For former companions like Moshe Yaalon, the former Israeli defense minister, Netanyahu's driving force has changed fundamentally over the decades. He no longer sees the prime minister as a statesman guided by the classic Zionist ideal, but as a politician in permanent survival mode.

“He wants to hold on to power,” criticizes Yaalon sharply. "So anyone who claims that he doesn't have a strategy is wrong: he does have a strategy, but it has nothing to do with foreign relations, our security or the interests of the State of Israel. All he cares about is staying in power for personal interests."

His wife Sara is just as controversial as Benjamin Netanyahu. Critics attribute it to a major influence on his personnel policy.

In order to secure this survival and his government majorities, Netanyahu has entered into alliances in recent years that were until recently considered politically unthinkable. He formed coalitions with ultranationalist, far-right and strict Orthodox forces.

Critics complain that these partners are extorting concessions that are straining the already fragile social structure between secular and religious Israelis and the Arab minority to the limit.

Reports from insiders in the inner circle of power reveal how much Netanyahu's politics and power apparatus are determined not only by ideological but also by highly private dynamics. Nir Hefetz, Netanyahu's long-time spokesman and confidant, describes the extraordinary influence that his wife Sara Netanyahu exercises in the background.

"No central personnel decision in the Prime Minister's Office is made without Sara's approval," reports Hefetz from the inside. "I would even say she has an absolute - and I mean absolute - monopoly on deciding whether you can trust someone or not."

The picture that insiders paint shows a system in which loyalty to the Netanyahu couple takes precedence over professional suitability for public office.

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For people in Israel today, the polling stations are about much more than the classic party programs, economic issues or social policy. It is an election of fate and a referendum on a deeply controversial political legacy.

Netanyahu has shaped the country for generations like no other. On election day it will be decided which path Israel will take: Will the majority follow the narrative of "King Bibi", the unyielding strategist in times of war? Or will the exhaustion of a society that sees him as the great divider who has led the country to the brink of the democratic abyss prevail? The answer to this will significantly determine the future of the Middle East.

Pia Steckelbach, ARD Tel Aviv, on the consequences of the Knesset election for Israel's future tagesschau24, October 27th, 2026 • 2:00 p.m. Israel Knesset Netanyahu This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | “King Bibi” or the great splitter? Portrait Benjamin Netanyahu | Oct 23, 2026 | 11:58 a.m