But Mr. Netanyahu’s style has done much to influence the tone and rules for political warfare since he first became prime minister in 1996. The bet paid off eventually but it also accelerated the trend of support for Israel breaking down along American partisan lines — a dangerous shift for American Jews and Israel alike. In fairness to Mr. Netanyahu, Israel faces very real external enemies. “They want the power but that’s about it.”Ideologically, Mr. Netanyahu’s government has been pulling further to the right like a lopsided team of horses. Now, Mr. Netanyahu has at least unified Israelis around a topic.

Source: New York Times February 15, 2018 23:03 UTC