From New York Times, I'm Michael Bavaro. This is a Daily.

Over the next few days, lawmakers in Israel are poised to do what once seemed unthinkable.

Push out the country's longest serving leader, Benjamin Netanyahu.

Today, my colleague, David Halfinger, on why it's happening and who is behind it?

It's Monday, June 7th.

David, the last time we spoke to you two years ago, we talked about the political longevity of Benjamin Netanyahu.

And you told us that to many people in Israel, Netanyahu had become a kind of indispensable leader,

so ingrained in the country's imagination and its sense of itself that it wasn't really clear

how Israel would ever move forward without him. Can you just remind us why that was the case?

Why this sense of indispensability had come to exist around Netanyahu?

So I think in the same way that much of the rest of the world looks at Israel and sees Benjamin

Netanyahu's face, right? He personifies that country. It's even more so inside Israel. And here's why.

Throughout his career and throughout his tenure as Prime Minister, he has sold himself to Israelis

as the peerless defender of Israel. Israel would not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons.

If Israel is forced to stand alone, Israel will stand alone.

This is a country that has always been and felt besieged. And for Israelis, they first and foremost

have always wanted and needed in their leader a protector. Now, on the world stage, no one has ever

been a more successful and capable spokesman. Israel is changing the world in India, in Asia,

in Africa, and Latin America everywhere. Speaking up and speaking up for Israelis and for their

interests. Here's Israel. My finger covers it. I'm an international television. So it's a tiny country

surrounded, well, so we say living in a very tough neighborhood. On the floor of the United Nations.

Iran's rulers promise to destroy my country, murder my people, and the response from this body.

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