, Columnist
Israel’s Michael Jordan Has All the Shots
Benjamin Netanyahu may not look much like the NBA star, but a combination of skill and ruthlessness has made him unbeatable in Israel.
Skilled, determined and unforgiving.
Photographer: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Last week, Benjamin Netanyahu was just sworn in for his fifth term as Israel’s prime minister. This week, at the District Court in Jerusalem, he goes on trial for charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery.
In the last election, Netanyahu’s political detractors denounced him as a dictator, likening him to Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan or France’s Louis XIV, who famously proclaimed “I am the state.” His supporters cheered him as “Bibi, King of Israel.” Netanyahu modestly compares himself to his hero, Winston Churchill.