The New York Times said that the defiant Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has become a rogue, and risks igniting a regional war, ignoring pressures from US President Joe Biden.

The newspaper believed that the Israeli Prime Minister, by ignoring the efforts of US President Joe Biden, and condemning many of his allies, is accelerating the pace of war and fueling the far-right revolution.

While the Biden administration and its allies are trying to secure an elusive ceasefire in Gaza, it seems that Israel has deviated from the right path.

According to the newspaper, the assassination of prominent figures in Hezbollah and Hamas abroad has now led to a sharp increase in the risks of a larger regional war, as Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah are preparing for revenge.

The assassination of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah leader, and Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, will not change the strategic dilemma facing Israel over how to end the war, govern Gaza, or care for civilians there.

According to the newspaper, this is likely to exacerbate the conflict rather than reduce it, making progress on the ceasefire in Gaza more difficult.

It added that Israel says it does not want war; but in return, it has no other solution to provide order, as Hamas refuses to surrender despite the thousands of dead.

While Washington sees a ceasefire followed by a regional agreement as the solution, Netanyahu despises the idea, and believes that force alone will force Hamas to concede and restore Israel’s strategic deterrence against Iran and its proxies, especially the Hezbollah militia.

The newspaper pointed out that in the absence of a clear goal for the war, Netanyahu’s challenge separates Israel from its allies and from the state itself, undermines confidence in his leadership, and raises suspicions that he is keeping the country in a state of war to keep himself in power.

The New York Times noted that in order to remain in power, Netanyahu has empowered far-right, religious, pro-settlement politicians who oppose any kind of Palestinian state.

He has given powerful roles to Itamar Ben-Gvir, a convicted felon who now heads the police and has influence over how the West Bank is run, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister and a staunch supporter of settlement expansion. The two men have moved to weaken the Palestinian Authority, support the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and oppose any deal with Hamas, while placing their followers in key positions in the Israeli bureaucracy.

They represent a populist revolt against the traditional democratic spirit and institutions, including the military and the judiciary. Like former President Donald Trump, Netanyahu, despite his long tenure in power, is riding that anti-elitist wave, claiming that he is the only politician capable of standing up to the United States and the United Nations and preventing a sovereign Palestine dominated by Hamas. “We are in a very dangerous process that could cast a shadow on the very DNA of this country,” said Nahum Barnea, one of Israel’s most prominent journalists and commentators. “Cultural confrontation is good, but not with Christian or populist politicians who not only become part of the government but hold crucial positions there.” The New York Times concludes that Netanyahu, despite his long tenure and political experience, appears to be riding this anti-elite wave, arguing that he is the only politician who can stand up to the United States and the United Nations and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.