Netanyahu’s days are numbered, Biden and aides increasingly believe: US media

Senior US officials have reportedly been discussing whether Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political days are coming to an end, citing the dismal performance of the Israeli regime during a recent Palestinian resistance operation among other things.

"The topic of Netanyahu’s short political shelf life has come up in recent White House meetings involving [US President Joe] Biden," American news website Politico reported on Wednesday, citing two senior US administration officials.

"Biden has gone so far as to suggest to Netanyahu that he should think about lessons he would share with his eventual successor," the officials added.

The website cited a current US official and a former one as confirming that "the administration believes Netanyahu has limited time left in office."

The US administration's dimming view of Netanyahu is partly driven by the belief that he has been "significantly weakened" by Israelis’ anger over the regime's failure in the face of the October 7 operation by the Gaza Strip's resistance movements that dealt a heavy blow to the Tel Aviv regime.

"There’s going to have to be a reckoning within Israeli society about what happened," said the current official, adding, "Ultimately, the buck stops on the prime minister’s desk."

Greatest existential threat to Israel is Benjamin Netanyahu

The Israeli war in Gaza has brought devastation to the strip, accompanied by the massacre of civilians, mostly women and children; however, it may have another casualty, the state of Israel itself.

"The current official said the expectation internally was that the Israeli PM would likely last a matter of months, or at least until the early fighting phase of Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip was over," the report said.

Biden’s trip to Tel Aviv last month was one largely of support, but privately he also urged Netanyahu to proceed cautiously and not widen the war, according to the two senior administration officials. 

With an eye toward the future, US officials are talking to Benny Gantz, a member of the current unity government; Naftali Bennett, a former prime minister; and Yair Lapid, an opposition leader and former prime minister, among other Israeli figures, the report said.

“Even the best case scenario for Israel in this war would not likely keep Netanyahu in power because the horror of the Oct. 7 operation will remain fresh, and because so many Israelis already directly attribute the lack of security to Netanyahu’s policies,” said Hagar Chemali, a former National Security Council and Treasury Department official in the Obama administration.

The occupying regime has faced international backlash over a hugely deadly war that it has been waging against Gaza in response to the Hamas' operation.

Visiting the occupied territories last month, Biden "advised Netanyahu to consider the scenario he was leaving for his successor — an implicit suggestion that Netanyahu might not be in power for the duration of what will likely be a lengthy conflict," the report added.

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