One quiet evening in Israel, 12 years ago, Benjamin Netanyahu appeared on Eretz Nehederet, Israel’s equivalent of Saturday Night Live. After the laughter subsided, a serious question arose: “How do you think people will remember your premiership?” Netanyahu replied briefly: “As the protector of Israel’s security.”
This was the legacy Netanyahu desired. It was his competitive advantage over political rivals, securing him six terms stretching back to the previous millennium. And you could argue it is what allowed him to withstand crisis after crisis that would have been ruinous for any other leader; above all, the attacks of October 7, 2023.
The primary threat Netanyahu identified was clear: Iran, the Shiite powerhouse encircling Israel via its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah, and intent on destroying the Jewish state once and for all via its nuclear ambitions. One way to read the past 30 years in the Middle East is as a duel between Netanyahu and Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei—two radically different figures. One, a secular, elite, highly educated leader with impeccable English; the other, a religious zealot from a poor background who doesn’t travel abroad.
Netanyahu’s goal has been to destroy Iran’s nuclear program. Khamenei’s goal has been to destroy Israel, and much of 21st-century Middle Eastern history has revolved around their struggle.