VIDEO
Binyamin Netanyahu’s next battle is to save his political skin
With his allies falling away, his war cabinet in turmoil and Hamas still a threat the beleaguered Israeli prime minister is manoeuvring to ensure his own political future and legacy
Binyamin Netanyahu is like a chess player taking on numerous opponents on different boards at the same time
PETE BAKER
The Sunday Times
On Sunday morning, the full Israeli cabinet will meet. One of the items on the agenda is to name the war that Israel has been fighting in Gaza for more than 11 weeks.
It will be Binyamin Netanyahu’s second attempt at this. In the first week, the Israeli prime minister called it, for reasons clear only to him, “The Iron Swords War”. The term was printed on official statements but has never caught on with the Israeli public. Even Netanyahu’s ministers and the generals of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have barely used it. This time around, Netanyahu’s preferred name is “the Genesis War”.
Politicians trying to name a war is of course a futile exercise. Netanyahu, the son of a historian, should be aware
