The main factor behind the sharp downturn is a sharp drop in aliyah from Russia, the main driver of immigration to Israel in recent years. Growing antisemitism is not driving Jews out of their countries, as Israeli immigration officials had predicted

Over the years, Netanyahu has followed a fairly transparent pattern: he advocates for extreme measures he doesn't believe in while leaving the actual restraint and execution to another actor, be it the IDF Chief of Staff or any relevant body, so that it bears the brunt of any backlash

The visit to the illegal Ma'aleh Tidhar outpost included a meeting with far-right activist Elisha Yered, who was suspected of involvement in the killing of a Palestinian teen, underscoring declining enforcement against nationalist crime and settler construction