Netanyahu responds to international pressure with a playbook he knows: Defiance

But for some who know him well, the Israeli leader’s message came as no surprise.

Netanyahu has survived 17 years in power by adopting a defiant posture toward Israel’s allies and enemies alike. The stance is part of an image he has curated—that he alone can stand up to the pressure heaped on the country that could harm its national security. Now, with Israel facing growing international condemnation over the war in Gaza, he is turning to the same playbook.

This week, he called for the country to become the “super-Sparta" of the Middle East, referring to the ancient militaristic city-state that fought the powerful Persian army. He said Israel must adapt its economy to take on “autarkic characteristics."

The speech was jarring to many in Israel, who see international isolation as dangerous both to its security and economy. Netanyahu said in a press conference a day later that he was referring to the defense industry, and that its economy would continue to be open to the world.

But his comments offered a window into how he is responding to growing international condemnation over the war—in classic Netanyahu fashion.

“He actually welcomes the pressure," said Michael Oren, who served as the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. under Netanyahu. “He’s saying, ‘OK, everyone’s coming down on me but I’m showing strength, my voters are going to respect me and the same world leaders who are condemning me right now are respecting that I can withstand this storm, and project and use power in Gaza.’"

The comments by Netanyahu came amid a crescendo of international calls to end the war in Gaza that will culminate next week with recognition of a Palestinian state by Western European allies, led by France, at the United Nations General Assembly. In both the U.S. and across Europe, support for Israel has fallen, and cultural and educational institutions have cut ties with their Israeli counterparts. Germany, Israel’s second-biggest arms supplier, has suspended some arms exports.

But Netanyahu has increasingly shown a willingness to go it alone and he has been emboldened by a string of military successes. He defied the Biden administration over Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon. He pushed ahead with an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities, without a promise from President Trump to join in. The huge gamble paid off when the U.S. brought its bombers to bear against Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Recently, when Israeli warplanes carried out an attack on Hamas political leaders in Qatar, Netanyahu gave the U.S. little time to object. In his speech on Monday, he blamed Qatar and China for social-media campaigns aimed at smearing Israel, without offering evidence. And he pointed the finger at rising Muslim migration to Europe for swaying its political leaders to turn against Israel.

The defiance reflects a formula that has worked for Netanyahu in Israel. He has become the country’s longest-serving prime minister but has faced increasing political isolation during time in power. Centrist and left-wing parties that were once a part of his government have shunned him over allegations of bribery and fraud, which he denies. Many of his aides and political allies have abandoned him.

In the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel, everyone was writing his political obituary for what has been seen as one of the country’s biggest security failures. Yet, nearly two years later, he is climbing back up in the polls.

The isolationist political stance is another gamble in a series of risky positions he has staked out. He is banking on continued support from the U.S., even as the Democratic Party has increasingly turned on Israel over the war in Gaza and as more young Republicans and MAGA leaders begin to question the close U.S.-Israel relationship.

“What we see now is a reflection of the fact that Netanyahu reduced the notion of foreign policy to U.S. policy, in particular the U.S. administration," said Yohanan Plesner, the president of the Jerusalem-based Israel Democracy Institute think tank. “It’s a dangerous reduction that Israel can rely solely on its relationship with who is in the White House instead of adopting a much broader policy in international relations."

Israeli flags outside a fabric shop in Tel Aviv.The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Israel’s prime minister said its economy would continue to be open to the world.

Paradoxically, Netanyahu was the one who helped usher in changes that further opened Israel’s economy to the world, making it a technological powerhouse and leading to an unprecedented level of wealth for a generation of Israelis.

In the 90s, Netanyahu was a globalist when it was popular, said Gideon Rahat, a political scientist at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The wave of protectionist urges that has followed populist movements in Europe and the U.S. are also being reflected now by Netanyahu, he said.

“Netanyahu is trying to imitate this trend," said Rahat. But it is a more dangerous prospect for Israel, a country of only 10 million, than for the U.S.

There is a long history of Israeli leaders defying international opprobrium. David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, famously coined the phrase “um shmum," which roughly translates to “United Nations, shmoonited nations," a phrase that is meant to belittle the international community’s efforts to condemn Israel.

That kind of defiance has always been a winning tactic domestically. But those same early Zionists always believed that Israel fundamentally relied on the international community for its legitimacy.

“It’s part of the core of the idea of Israel," said Plesner, from the Israel Democracy Institute, that it “has to be open and closely linked to the Western world."

Netanyahu is betting that the world’s anger will subside once the war is over, and that Israelis who have served in the military won’t continue to face charges of war crimes when they arrive in European countries. He is also betting that American Jews will continue to identify and support Israel, even if its reputation is tarnished.

Daniel Gordis, a fellow at Shalem College in Jerusalem, said American Jews support Israel in part because it has always been a source of pride for them. “He’s little by little, knowingly or unknowingly, chipping away at things that made people proud to be part of Israel," he said.

Ultimately, though, Netanyahu is betting, once again, on himself. He is doubling down on a strategy that has kept him in power and, in his view, secured Israel’s future.

“He thinks he’s the one who can save Israel from the imminent threat of annihilation," said Aviv Bushinsky, who worked for Netanyahu for nine years. “He really believes that he is the only one on Earth that can do it."

Write to Shayndi Raice at Shayndi.Raice@wsj.com