He and a team flew to Israel in 2023, several months before the October 7th massacre and mass hostage taking led by Hamas and other terrorist organizations from Gaza. When several charges of corruption were brought against Netanyahu, Israel’s liberal parties refused to join his governing coalition in 2022. So, Israel’s domestic polarization and the prospect of a negotiated settlement between Israel and Saudi Arabia prompted Hamas to pull the trigger on invading southern Israel. This led at first to expressions of official sympathy for Israel from countries around the world. Yet, antisemites around the world expressed sympathy for Hamas, saying the massacre was justifiable.