Binyamin Netanyahu weighs up the political impact of a ceasefire

By Anshel Pfeffer, Israel correspondent, The Economist

If the generals of the Israel Defence Forces had their way, the three wars Israel fought in 2024 would all have been over by year’s end. They have restored Israel’s deterrence, tarnished by Hamas’s surprise attack on October 7th 2023. But as one of the generals puts it: “Soldiers fight wars; politicians decide when we’ve won.” And politics means Israel’s wars (in Gaza, Lebanon and against Iran) are likely to continue well into the new year.