A new round of reporting faults Netanyahu personally for Israel's war choices, but the framing itself is being read as a way to protect Israeli policy once he's gone — bad news for Palestinians either way.

• Netanyahu gained politically from the war: his corruption cases stalled and mass street protests against him vanished.
• He has repeatedly blocked an independent inquiry into the October 7 security failure.
• Western outlets like the Atlantic and the New York Times now pin the blame on one man, which clears the path for the next government to keep the same policies.
• The UAE and Egypt have quietly worked alongside Israel, more worried about their own publics' sympathy for Palestinians than about Palestinians themselves.
• Ben Gvir is pulling the largest share of new Israeli voters, pointing to a harder-right electorate, not a softer one.

Outlook: Expect the blame-Netanyahu story to grow louder as Israeli elections approach, while occupation of Gaza and southern Lebanon continues regardless of who wins.