Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Faculty member, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Semnan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Semnan, Iran
2
Independent Legal Researcher, Shahriar Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahriar, Iran
3
Department of Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Karaj, Iran
10.22034/wasj.2026.591200.1146
Abstract
The political behavior of Middle Eastern leaders, particularly over the last two decades, has increasingly been analyzed through political and criminal psychology. This study models Benjamin Netanyahu’s personality, focusing on his personal militant objectives and their connection to Zionist political-religious promises. The central question examines how Netanyahu’s traits—political narcissism, suspicion, and crisis-creation—have shaped expansionist behavior and regional crisis management. The hypothesis posits that these traits have directly escalated conflict in Gaza and the West Bank by fostering aggression and rejecting peaceful solutions, thereby creating a vicious cycle where the leader’s political survival depends on sustained foreign crises.Using qualitative descriptive document analysis, data were gathered from scientific texts, reports, lectures, interviews, and political documents. Findings reveal that political narcissism, organized suspicion, and crisis-creation, combined with identity discourses like "Greater Israel" and the "Deal of the Century," have reproduced conflict, weakened regulatory institutions, and perpetuated occupation. While justified within Zionist ideology, Netanyahu’s expansionist policies have served dual purposes: securing regime interests while functioning as a tool for political survival, judicial immunity, and consolidating personal power. The study suggests interdisciplinary models for analyzing regional conflicts and recommends that foreign policy theorists integrate crisis-creation as a strategy for leader survival into analytical frameworks.
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