Thread by @SethAMandel

"In the past decade of Netanyahu’s premiership...Bibi has done nothing less than remake the Israeli political establishment in his image. And then, on April 9, he defeated that, too."

My May essay for @Commentary on how and why Netanyahu won again commentarymagazine.com/articles/how-b…

Israel's ideological Left has crumbled. In its stead, Bibi faced parties led by his former defense ministers, former chiefs of staff, former office director, and an announcement of charges against him by his former cabinet secretary.

His longevity in office has helped him because his policies have been vindicated and the doom-and-gloom predictions and criticisms have been proved false.

I also talk about how Bibi's global ambitions for Israel create a problem for his challengers: "You might tell the guy juggling flaming chainsaws that this was a dangerous path, but you aren’t crazy about the idea of him walking away while they’re still in the air."

And so: "When Western leftists say their problem is only with Netanyahu, not the Israeli people, it rings false: Israelis may not identify with (or even like) Bibi personally, but their country’s political identity is deeply intertwined with their prime minister of 10 years."

That last part is crucial to understanding why he retains the support he does, and it's a distinction that a lot of Israel's critics--including, by the way, several Democrats on the campaign trail--miss. They should pay closer attention to this seeming contradiction that isn't.

I also talk about how Bibi telegraphed much of this back in the 90s, with speeches to European leaders on applying Helsinki's lessons to the Mideast. Key question a lot of ppl missed during the campaign: "Netanyahu has been training for this. Have those who wish to replace him?"

Anyway, please read the whole thing for the details and stories and exposition, and why a clear look at Israel's politics right now suggests the victory, at last, of Revisionist Zionism. commentarymagazine.com/articles/how-b… Thanks!

And to be clear: you don't have to always agree with him to understand him. As I write: some of his new friends "represent the vanguard of a dangerous 21st-century blood-and-soil nationalism" and his embrace of them "is far more difficult to navigate and fraught with risk."

Whether you like Bibi or not, you need to understand the long game, and what it has meant for Israel.