NATIONAL REVIEW
by Quin Hillyer
August 11, 2014

To the American public, this is Benjamin Netanyahu’s moment. As an advocate of Israeli resolve and Israel’s moral authority, that tiny nation’s prime minister is a one-man tour de force, speaking with clarity, directness, and authenticity.

Twice in the last week, in random conversations that touched briefly on news of the day — which of course included the fighting in Gaza — different women (both of Social Security age, one Protestant, one Catholic) volunteered to me without prompting that they think Netanyahu is, well, wonderful. Each had seen him interviewed on American TV (on different American networks); each said she was struck by the moral weight of his message, by his businesslike firmness without extravagance, and by what each described as his authenticity. Those two ladies aren’t alone. While others may not praise Netanyahu quite so exuberantly, the basic tenor of American reactions to his name, everywhere I go, is the same: “I really wish we had a leader like that.”

Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu has plenty of critics, both in his own country and among some hardliners and some doves in American Jewry, and he has been no paragon of virtue in his private life. But there is no doubt that the man is a superb communicator, a canny politician and diplomat, and a remarkably tough, persistent, able leader.

More than 40 years ago, in his early 20s, he was a young war hero; 38 years ago, he was the bereaved brother of perhaps the most celebrated military hero in Israeli history; 30 years ago, he became one of the most recognizable Israelis in the United States through regular news appearances while serving as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations. In Israeli politics, Netanyahu has seen more ups and downs, more ins and outs of power, more setbacks and more recoveries, than a novelist would dare invent. By age 50 he was a defeated former prime minister. Now, at just shy of 65, he is one of only two three-term PMs in his nation’s history. It is undeniable: There is something appealing, something galvanizing, about him. And, apparently, it always was thus……

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/385105/indefatigable-israeli-quin-hillyer