Bibi is facing a serious electoral challenge.
But former Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz says anyone expecting his departure to completely transform Israel may be disappointed.
Gadi Eisenkot and Naftali Bennett could remove the political lightning rod that Netanyahu has become and immediately lower tensions with Europe and parts of the U.S.
But Gaza?
They're not simply going to withdraw and allow Hamas to return.
Lebanon?
They're unlikely to pull the IDF out and walk away there either.
So Katz thinks a new prime minister would initially buy Israel goodwill, but without substantive policy changes, it won't last.
And that matters because he believes Israel's relationship with America has already “ruptured.”
Support for Israel is falling particularly sharply among younger Americans, including younger Republicans and evangelicals, constituencies Israel once assumed were firmly in its corner.
Katz's broader criticism is that Israel has become too dependent on military solutions.
It can destroy Hamas infrastructure, hammer Hezbollah and severely damage Iran.
But eventually those forces rebuild.
“Military force is a tool in a toolkit. It is not the only tool.”
Without a political strategy to fill the vacuum after the bombs stop falling, Katz argues Israel simply ends up fighting the same enemies again.
Netanyahu leaving could change the face of Israel.
Katz's point is that changing the face is the easy part.
@WeTheBrandon @yaakovkatz
