When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Biden administration earlier this week that he objects to the establishment of a Palestinian state, the intended audience was his base of supporters – or what little of it he has left.

Since the start of the war on 7 October 2023, Netanyahu had zig-zagged between rejecting the idea of Palestinian rule over Gaza and showing some level of flexibility about the idea of a reformed Palestinian Authority (PA) managing Gaza’s day to day governance, with Israel managing the region’s security.

Netanyahu is torn between his dependence on the approval of his right-wing voters and his reliance on American support. The American administration has been extremely supportive of Israel, providing ammunition, protection from Houthi attacks from Yemen and deterrence against Iran and Hezbollah, as well as justifying the war internationally. But Biden’s warm embrace extends to the state of Israel, not to Netanyahu. Their personal relationship has been strained from the start – and Netanyahu’s latest statement will make matters worse.

Since the start of the war, Biden has consistently called for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take over the governance of Gaza. Until this week it seemed like the Israeli government was warming up to that idea, despite its reservations about the PA’s ability to govern Gaza.

But Netanyahu is consistent about only one thing: serving his personal and political interests. His priority is keeping his position as PM and avoiding being found guilty in the various corruption charges levelled against him. He considers any action that helps him to be ‘kosher’.

Netanyahu and his government were deeply unpopular before the war, and have become even less popular as a result of Hamas’s massacre on 7 October. The government’s focus on passing unpopular, and in some cases undemocratic, laws and policies instead of paying attention to the growing threat from Gaza, has led many to blame it for the many failures that enabled Hamas’s surprise attack.