A Tale of Two Netanyahus: The Six Factors That Will Decide Annexation

“There are two Netanyahus,” says an old general who has spent hundreds of hours over the years briefing the prime minister. “There’s the clever and politically pragmatic Netanyahu who doesn’t make rash decisions. And there’s the impulsive, history-driven Netanyahu who thinks he knows best. In the past, I thought it was usually the first Netanyahu making the decisions. But right now, over annexation, we seem to have the second.”

But like just about everyone you speak to now in Israel who has some knowledge of Benjamin Netanyahu, the general will not predict which Netanyahu will emerge in a week, on July 1, when the time comes to launch annexation.

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– Bibi Eyes ‘Annexation Lite’ as Pandemic Panic Returns

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This is about to be one of the most fateful weeks in the prime minister’s career, as he decides how, if and when to annex parts of the West Bank. But he is a complex character, and his two sides are interchangeable, often at the blink of an eye. The following six factors will influence his decision.