Why Israelis support war against Hamas, but not Netanyahu

+ NOAA forecasts intense hurricane season US Edition - Today's top story: Most Israelis dislike Netanyahu, but support the war in Gaza -- an Israeli scholar explains what's driving public opinion [View in browser]( US Edition | 23 May 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [How Iran picks its supreme leader]( - [What student protesters learned from 1980s anti-Apartheid movement]( - [Big government goes back to the Founding Fathers]( Lead story As Israel’s war with Hamas enters its eighth month, most Israelis continue to support the offensive in Gaza – but are increasingly losing confidence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who even before the war started in 2023 had a host of domestic problems. Many people not from or familiar with Israel might find these two truths contradictory. But really, they reveal the complicated layers of Israel’s politics and national psyche, explains Arie Perliger, a scholar of Israeli politics at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. Israelis’ mindset and history help explain their nuanced response to the country’s war against Hamas, Perliger writes. One central feature is a feeling of persecution that Israelis and Jewish people have [carried with them for generations](, dating back to the biblical era. “The brutal Oct. 7 murders and the extermination of entire communities in southern Israel left Israelis feeling shocked, vulnerable and insecure. The attacks reminded Israelis that the country faces existential threats, which they believe need to be eliminated in any way possible,” Perliger writes. [ [Miss us on Sundays? Get a selection of our best and most popular stories (or try our other weekly emails).]([]]( Amy Lieberman Politics + Society Editor Protesters wave Israeli flags and protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on May 20, 2024. Matan Golan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images [Most Israelis dislike Netanyahu, but support the war in Gaza – an Israeli scholar explains what’s driving public opinion]( Arie Perliger, UMass Lowell Israelis’ and Jewish people’s long-held feeling of persecution, dating back to biblical times, contributes to most Israelis’ desire to continue the war in Gaza. Environment + Energy - [Hurricane forecasts point to a dangerous 2024 Atlantic season, with La Niña and a persistently warm ocean teaming up to power fierce storms]( Jhordanne Jones, Purdue University NOAA expects an extraordinarily busy hurricane season, with 17-25 named storms and 8-13 hurricanes. 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