Overview
- TIME, which published its 2026 list Thursday, included Benjamin Netanyahu for the fifth time.
- Editors cast his rise as a comeback after Oct. 7, 2023, when he was blamed for Israel’s worst security failure, and wrote the turnaround may have exceeded President Trump’s own.
- TIME credits his boost at home to military steps that included heavy blows to Hezbollah, joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear program during a 12‑day war, and the extraction of all remaining hostages from Gaza.
- The profile warns those actions carried steep costs, citing the human toll in Gaza, settlement growth in the West Bank, a new incursion into Lebanon, a darkening conflict with Iran, and eroding support among younger Americans.
- It also notes allegations at the International Criminal Court and concludes that the moves that saved him politically will define and complicate his legacy, even as Washington remains Israel’s key security partner.