evidence: Netanyahu’s response? Two days after arriving home, without a heads-up to the White House, a bomb almost certainly planted by Israel killed Hamas’ most prominent negotiator in a heavily guarded government guest house in Tehran. With every passing week, critics raise further alarms that Netanyahu is drawing out the Gaza campaign for personal political reasons, arguing that a deal for a permanent cease-fire that would bring home the remaining hostages would also open the door to elections that could result in his removal from office. Biden himself told TIME on May 28 that there was "every reason to draw that conclusion," and in Israel, many do. "Netanyahu is focused on his longevity in power more than the interests of the Israeli people or the State of Israel," says former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who for four years served as his Defense Minister. "It will take half a generation to repair the damage that Netanyahu has caused in the last year." [...] In his office on Kaplan Street, TIME asks Netanyahu whether he intends to remain Prime Minister. "I will stay in office as long as I believe I can help lead Israel to a future of security, enduring security and prosperity," he replies. And would he say an opposition leader who presided over Israel’s worst security failure should stay in power?