It is almost time for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to face voters once again. In October 2023, when Hamas broke out of Gaza and murdered hundreds of Israelis, most of them civilians, Netanyahu looked done for. Responsible for the worst intelligence and security failure in the history of the Jewish state, he promised total victory in wars of retribution against all of his country’s enemies: Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and their paymasters in Iran. For the past 33 months, the demands of wartime have held together an unruly coalition government in Israel dominated by hard-right and religious parties.

But an inconclusive war with Iran; a failure to defeat Hamas or Hezbollah; and a falling out with Washington, Israel’s essential benefactor, have left Netanyahu exposed. President Donald Trump has criticized Netanyahu for insubordination, citing his failure to fully support an Iran peace deal that the U.S. president urgently needs. Some Democrats, and many leaders around the world, have accused Netanyahu and Israeli forces of war crimes, which........

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