The Making of Netanyahu

There are certain politicians on the global stage who publicly and brazenly display mercilessness and bloodthirstiness. Of them, however, no one can match Netanyahu’s relentless drive to wipe out a whole ethnic group and ensure that his adversaries no longer exist. The claim that Netanyahu ‘s personality is a mystery is far from the truth. In words and actions, he has flagrantly demonstrated a disregard for morality, human rights, and international law.
Indeed, his personality is not an enigma-;- rather, it is one of a man whose morality is shaped by extremism and who has a propensity toward brutality. This is evident by his fascination with mass tragedies and for extreme individuals. However, though he has repeatedly shown admiration for people such as the Zionist Revisionist, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, who was born in Odessa, Russia (currently Ukraine) in 1880, the fact remains that Jabotinsky was less of an extremist than Netanyahu.
Writing in Vox (2015), Zack Beauchamp argued that Jabotinsky was the founder of the intellectual traditions and political institutions that eventually produced Netanyahu’s Likud party and the uncompromising policies that define it. Nevertheless, Jabotinsky in his Iron Wall essay acknowledges two points that Netanyahu will not utter´-or-admit. First, “Colonisation can have only one aim, and Palestine Arabs cannot accept this aim. It lies in the very nature of things, and in this particular regard nature cannot be changed.” Second, “We cannot offer any adequate compensation to the Palestinian Arabs in return for Palestine . . . Zionist colonisation must either stop,´-or-else proceed regardless of the native population.”
Netanyahu dismisses the idea that Israel colonized Palestine and asserts there will be no compromise with Palestinians. Nevertheless, he agrees with Jabotinsky on two significant elements- Jews face an existential threat in Europe and that Palestinians must be forced into submission. Jabotinsky asserted that subjugating Palestinians is possible only through the establishment of the iron wall which “should consist of Jewish soldiers . . . [and that] there is no longer any hope of getting rid of us, because they [Palestinians] can make no breach in the iron wall.”
Over the years, Netanyahu has managed to corner consecutive American Presidents and twisted the arms of many of them to get what he wants. With Trump back in the White House, Netanyahu has assumed a considerable role in shaping American policy toward the Arab and Muslim world. Trump’s inner circle seems to abide by Netanyahu’s dictates, as his words and wishes are literally followed.
U.S. foreign policy experts are often puzzled by the extent of Netanyahu’s influence on the White House. The Wall Street Journal (September 17, 2025) succinctly put the question, “Why is Trump, who prefers to keep the upper hand in relationships, willing to let Netanyahu continually operate in -dir-ect defiance of his wishes?” No adequate answers have been provided. The answer, however, is crystal clear once one understands the ideals that define Netanyahu.
Early in his career, Netanyahu demonstrated aggressive attitudes in dealing with foes and friends. He discovered, especially in dealing with politicians in Washington, the power of having a network of backers willing to intimidate those who did not agree with him and who had the resources needed to carry out his plans. For instance, the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is one entity that Netanyahu and Israel have utilized to prioritize Israel’s interests before anything else. It has under its disposal vast and powerful networks of politicians, religious extremists, and wealthy members. They are able to spend lavishly to support certain policies and initiate actions to destroy the careers of those who hesitate to espouse AIPAC talking points.
While Netanyahu draws on his rich experience in dealing with the neoconservatives in Washington, in the final analysis his ideas have been shaped by his father, Benzion Netanyahu and the biblical figure in the Old Testament, Joshua. Bibi Netanyahu acknowledges that both have inspired his life and his actions.
The older Netanyahu was a historian who worked with Jabotinsky but harbored a more extreme views of Arabs and Palestinians. As described in The Guardian (May 1, 2012), Benzion thoughts “are often so dark, so unforgiving, that he sounds like the harshest of Old Testament prophets … his range of disapproval is breathtaking." The father taught the son to be uncompromising. His racist thoughts about Arabs unquestionably influenced his son. Benzion argued that “their nature and character won’t allow any compromise. When they talk of compromise, it’s a way of deceiving” and that an Arab is “an enemy by essence. His personality won’t allow him any compromise´-or-agreement. It doesn’t matter what kind of resistance he will meet, what price he will pay. His existence is one of perpetual war.”
When he was asked if his thinking guided the way his son thinks, Benzion was frank stating, “Bibi might aim for the same goals as mine, but he keeps to himself the ways to achieve them, because if he gave expression to them, he would expose his goals.”
Bibi Netanyahu admires leaders who engage in mass destruction and killing. One of them is Joshua who participated in the first recorded genocide, according to the Bible. In the Book of Joshua (11:11-12) it is written, “And they smote all the souls that were therein with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them-;- there was not any left to breath: and he burnt Ha’zor with fire. And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.” It’s further recorded (Joshua 10:39), “They took the city, its king and its villages, and put them to the sword. Everyone in it they totally destroyed. They left no survivors.”
Bibi considers biblical figures who engaged in genocide to be heroes. As he stated, on July 4, 2024, “Character is revealed in times of crisis. . .. the people of Israel connected to the deepest foundations of our national being. As one, we rose to fight our enemies with the heroism, determination, and resilience that characterized our heroes from the days of Joshua and the Maccabees, passed down across time to the warriors of the modern State of Israel.”

Netanyahu admires brutality and savagery. For him, the only way to win is to keep attacking potential and imaginary adversaries. He is fed by a messianic world view where there is neither compromise nor peace. From the beginning, he has been a militant Zionist and has been driven by a deep conviction that the only way for Israel to survive and maintain dominance is to keep the region in a state of perpetual instability.

Abbas J. Ali is the author of nine books including Business Ethics in Islam (Edward Elgar Publishing) and Sectarianism in Islam: Power, Tribalism, and Commercial Interest (Nova Publishing). He frequently writes on international and Middle East Affairs.

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