Netanyahu’s total victory narrative collapsed, and Israelis are in shock | Daniel Levy | The Big Picture

Netanyahu’s social contract has collapsed, and Israelis are in a state of shock.

That is how former Israeli negotiator Daniel Levy sees the outcome of 15 months of war in Gaza, after a ceasefire was brokered without Hamas conceding defeat.

Instead, Israelis watch the scenes of Hamas militants celebrating in fresh uniforms and wonder what exactly did their Prime Minister achieve after promising nothing short of a total victory.

Meanwhile, the abject failures of the Biden Administration in their deeply unpopular Gaza policy were undermined by the seeming ease of Trump’s ability to force Netanyahu to accept a deal that was on the table since May 2024.

But as Levy says, this says less about Trump’s power as it does Netanyahu’s vulnerability.

This week on the Big Picture Podcast, we sit down with the former Israeli peace negotiator and the president of the US-Middle East Project Daniel Levy.

Daniel Levy was part of the negotiating team during the Oslo Accords in the mid-90s. He was then a Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister’s office and a lead drafter of the model peace agreement, known as the Geneva Initiative.

If you’d like to read Amos Harel’s analysis on the IDF’s push for a ceasefire, you can read it here: https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-01-22/ty-article/.premium/despite-operational-successes-in-gaza-the-next-idf-chief-will-inherit-an-army-in-crisis/00000194-8abc-dee1-aff7-ebff04f10000

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this episode, and any guests you'd like us to have on our show. Reach us by email at mh@middleeasteye.org or find us on instagram @BigPictureMee.

You can also watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMyaP73Ho1ySj3cO0OSOHZAOgD1WTDixG