“There is a significant disparity between Israel’s leadership and its citizens — but it’s the opposite of what people in Washington assume.” The policies of Israel’s war cabinet are restrained relative to public opinion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s foreign-policy instincts are moderate by Israeli standards. If “the Israeli people” somehow controlled the war in Gaza directly, it might be even more devastating.

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I had not seen this. I don't follow Israeli politics from an Israeli-domestic perspective so my exposure is filtered by what hits the news here in the US. That exposure over the last year or two implied that Netanyahu was continuing to tack to the hard right and was alienating the majority of Israelis, to the point where he was likely to lose re-election. I can imagine the current state within Israel being one where the population is extremely angry due to the attacks and want Hamas wiped out via methods more severe than Netanyahu is pursuing as he eyes Israel's entire national security picture. On the other hand, that public inclination could be distinct from Israelis wanting Netanyahu to retain power and continue pursuing other changes that are highly unpopular (like crippling the power of the Israeli Supreme Court).

Stated more succinctly, it's possible for Netanyahu to be more moderate on immediate tactics for dealing with Hamas than the Israeli public while still being hard right of the majority on everything else, driving them to want him out of power. For example, in the immediate term, maybe Israelis want Gaza leveled to a pile of cement dust while Netanyahu is holding back from that (somewhat). On the other hand, Netanyahu and far-right conservatives seem to be pushing for MORE settlements in occupied territories, a key stimulant in the cycle of violence, while active support for such settlements is a minority of Israelis.

apnews.com - Israel settlements hamas gaza war netanyahu smotrich

pewresearch.org - The peace process settlements and u s support

According to the above Pew report, 42% of Israelis think settlements HELP security, 30% think they HURT security and 25% think they have no impact either way. There are different ways of spinning how the 25% bloc is mapped to a simpler metric of support or oppose. It could be that the 25% who are "neutral" don't lean on that issue either way when voting and the 42% in favor push for more settlements without any political price.

WTH