Netanyahu's popular appeal has deep roots.
Paul Adams, BBC Diplomatic Correspondent.
In the eyes of his opponents, Benjamin Netanyahu is many things: corrupt, taking bribes, a shameless political trickster, and above all a person who failed to prevent the terrible event of October 7, 2023.
But in the eyes of his fans, he is still "baby, the king of captives".
The secret to his continued success is complicated. He is clearly a master of the dark arts necessary to overcome the complexities of POW's deeply divided political arena.
But his popular appeal is much deeper than that, and its roots go back to the structural changes in Israeli politics in the 1970s, when the country witnessed decades of rule by secular and leftist European (or Ashkenazi) politicians, who were overthrown by Menachem Begin's right-wing Likud party; A party that attracted the support of reluctant Mizrahi Jews, mainly from the Middle East and North Africa. Mr. Netanyahu, like Mr. Begin, understood from the beginning the value of being accepted by the Mizrahim, who were sometimes referred to by Ashkenazim in derogatory terms; Many later accepted it as a badge of honor.
Benjamin Netanyahu, like Donald Trump in America, is unlikely to represent the oppressed and the disenfranchised, but his widespread popularity is still partly due to his image as a determined defender of Jewish interests in a world full of local, regional and international threats.