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The Age of the Strongman: Understanding Netanyahu

Politics &
Economics

Anshel Pfeffer sheds light on Netanyahu's bold vision for reshaping the Middle East and his ongoing expansion of settlements in the West Bank

In November 2022, Benjamin Netanyahu returned to power in Israel after winning his sixth election. Propped up by a bloc of far-right and ultra-religious parties, Netanyahu’s government is seen by many as the most extreme in Israeli history. But he is also a remarkably successful politician: he first won power in 1996 and is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

In September 2025, Anshel Pfeffer, one of the world’s foremost experts on the Israeli Prime Minister came to Intelligence Squared for the third instalment of our Age of the Strongman series. Pfeffer drew from his forthcoming book No King In Israel: The Jewish State Confronts its Demons to shed light on Netanyahu’s bold vision for reshaping the Middle East, his cosy relationship with Donald Trump, his battles to silence the Israeli judiciary and his ongoing expansion of settlements in the West Bank. Pfeffer also explained the monumental shifts in Israeli politics that have taken place after October 7 and the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.

The event was hosted Gideon Rachman, Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator for the Financial Times.

Speakers for the motion

  • Anshel Pfeffer

    Israel Correspondent for The Economist

Chair

  • Gideon Rachman

    Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator for the Financial Times

Speakers are subject to change.

Speakers

Speaker

Anshel Pfeffer

Israel Correspondent for The Economist

Israel correspondent for The Economist and The Times and a columnist of the oldest Jewish newspaper in the world, The Jewish Chronicle. His book, Bibi – The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu, was published in 2018 to wide critical acclaim. His forthcoming book in 2025 titled No King in Israel examines Israeli politics after October 7. 
Host

Gideon Rachman

Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator for the Financial Times

Chief Foreign Affairs Commentator for the Financial Times. He joined the FT in 2006, after 15 years at The Economist, where he served as a correspondent in Washington D.C., Brussels, and Bangkok. In 2016, Rachman won the Orwell Prize, Britain’s most prestigious prize for political journalism. He has written a number of books including Zero Sum World, Easternization: Asia’s Rise and America’s Decline From Obama to Trump and Beyond, and The Age of Strongmen.