What Bibi's Narrow Win Means For Israel

After winning a fifth term, Netanyahu is set to keep shaping Israel in his image

- Gwen Ackerman and Amy Teibel

On Oct. 25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Oman for a tête-à-tête with Sultan Qaboos at his sprawling waterfront palace. Three days later, Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev choked up as she watched Israel’s national judo team win a gold medal at a competition in Abu Dhabi. Communications Minister Ayoob Kara attended a conference in Dubai on Oct. 30. A week later, Transportation Minister Israel Katz was spotted doing a traditional sword dance in the Omani capital, Muscat, shortly after presenting a plan to link Israel with the rest of the Middle East by rail.

That parade of Israeli visitors to the Persian Gulf highlights a dramatic shift on Netanyahu’s watch: Although Israel has no diplomatic ties with countries in the region, relations are warming up. Shortly after his visit to Oman, the prime minister broke with most of the Western world to rally behind Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when he was implicated in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. A few months earlier the prince himself drew attention to the thaw when he said Israelis “have the right to their own land”—once an unthinkable utterance by an Arab leader.

Netanyahu, who after elections on April 9 is on track to become Israel’s longest-serving leader despite his likely indictment in three corruption cases, has pulled the country sharply to the right on security while dismantling much of the socialist legacy of its founders. At the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., last year, he was asked how he’d like to be remembered. “Defender of Israel,” he replied. “Liberator of its economy.” Closer relations with Arab states fit into that vision, helping to achieve multiple goals that are among his top priorities: isolating Iran, sidelining the Palestinians, and boosting growth via increased trade and investment.