Israel’s current war on two fronts shows few signs of wrapping up any time soon. In Lebanon, the indications are that the IDF is looking to establish an expanded buffer zone north of the border, with the intention of holding it for as long as the government in Beirut fails to fulfil its pledge to disarm Hezbollah. In Iran, meanwhile, Israeli air attacks are continuing daily, even as Tehran’s missiles and drones continue to target Israel’s centres of civilian population.

This year is an election year in Israel, with polls required by law to take place by October. So what impact, if any, are the conflicts having on the political debate inside Israel? Are they likely to decide the future political prospects of Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and if so, in what direction?

It should firstly be noted that Israeli public support for both campaigns remains high. Israelis do not need convincing regarding the nature of the Iranian regime’s intentions towards them. Iran has stood behind the Islamist militias that have formed Israel’s most visible and kinetic enemy now for the last four decades. Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, its missile capacities and its long war intended to end in the demise of the Jewish state are not matters of partisan dispute.

The good news for Netanyahu is the public remains largely united behind him as a war leader

The good news for Netanyahu is the public remains largely united behind him as a war leader

Support for the war currently stands at over 90 per cent in the most recent Israeli opinion surveys. Concerns regarding the clarity of Israel’s war aims and the seemingly open-ended nature of the campaigns are raised with increasing........

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