How Will Israelis—and History—Judge Benjamin Netanyahu?

Symposium Contribution | The Free Press · October 13, 2026

Executive Summary

Michael Oren is one of eight writers The Free Press asked to assess Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s place in history on the eve of Israel’s first election since October 7. The symposium, published by The Free Press editors, sets out to take Netanyahu’s 19-year record “seriously and assess it on the merits,” as voters prepare to deliver a verdict in a tight race against former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot.

Format: A symposium in which eight writers weigh Netanyahu’s record, including Haviv Rettig Gur, Michael Oren, and Yossi Klein Halevi.
Context: Israel’s first national election since October 7 and the multifront war that followed.
The race: Netanyahu faces Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief of staff who served in the war cabinet; polls show a tight contest.
The question: Where Netanyahu succeeded, where he failed, and how Israelis—and history—will judge Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

Publication: The Free Press — “How Will Israelis—and History—Judge Benjamin Netanyahu?” by The Editors, with contributions from Michael Oren and others.
Read the full symposium at The Free Press →

Source: The Free PressView on The Free Press →