Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel's war aims go beyond the defeat of Hamas to the collective punishment of two million Palestinians. It is losing friends fast, while Gazans lose far more than that.

By hyping up the threat of a nuclear Iran, Netanyahu knows he can scare Israeli society into backing military action—a tactic he has perfected throughout his lengthy political career

Israel sees an opportunity to eliminate a strategic regional rival, but the future course of events primarily hinges on what Trump decides to do next

The Israeli strikes aren't about facilities or centrifuges, but regime change

Netanyahu has a lethal addiction to crises 

Given Trump's agnostic approach to foreign policy and desire to seal deals, the Israeli premier may have to show more flexibility on key regional issues

In the past year, the prime minister has cast aside his army chief, defence minister, intelligence head, and attorney-general, while subordinating the judiciary to his office and crushing dissent

Israel's coalition government contains far-right parties that do not want to see an end to the bloodshed in Gaza, so it is no surprise that bombs have started falling again

Netanyahu always said the truce was temporary and used the 'war pause' to grab more land in the West Bank and go after those in Israel who opposed the Kahanist war aims of his far-right coalition