Why did Netanyahu ditch his tie?

In the joint photograph from the meeting of U.S President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in Tel Aviv, it was possible to discern visual messages transmitted by each of the leaders. While the American president (as well as President Isaac Herzog) completely adhered to the dress code that included a dark suit, white shirt, striped tie and a pin of the U.S flag pinned to the left lapel of the jacket, Netanyahu chose a more relaxed, less formal look, which included a dark suit, a white shirt and an Israeli flag pin, sans his trademark tie.

This is not mere accident. Lately, in most appearances, Netanyahu has given up on a tie in an attempt to present an improved image, over the one perceived as disconnected from the public throughout the past year (and especially in the first days of the war), to a more accessible and liberated image. Netanyahu is going for the "one of our own" look, if you will.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sans tie, meets US President Joe Biden in Tel Aviv

(Photo: Haim Zach, GPO)

Netanyahu constantly maintains a polished appearance that includes a close-knit beauty team, even during war. Evidence for this is the carefully combed hair at every public appearance and the eyebrows emphasized in relation to his gray hair. It is worth dwelling on Netanyahu's appearance since the terrible, bloody massacre on October 7.

This is not about fashionable whims that change every morning, but a message supporting his statements as they are presented to the public. Throughout the first week of the war, Netanyahu appeared in public speeches, as well as in the first cabinet meetings and meetings with foreign guests (such as the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen) wearing a dark suit and a white shirt with or without a tie, a tired look even in peacetime.

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With the swearing in of the war-time government last week and the opening session of the Knesset on Sunday, we saw a different Netanyahu. The wardrobe of the detached leader, who maintains a solemn and elegant appearance, was replaced by black mourning clothes. Last week, Netanyahu appeared on the Knesset podium wearing a black shirt with a matching jacket, and during the past week he made sure to wear a black button-down shirt and black pants, with which he also appeared at cabinet meetings, at the beginning of the cabinet meeting on Sunday this week, at a meeting with soldiers of the Border Patrol, and at meetings with the leaders of Romania and Germany who visited Israel this week.

In exchanges over the years, Netanyahu and the defense ministers by his side were seen in a black Uniqlo jacket that has become the Israeli man's uniform in winter. However, in his current and more grounded appearance, Netanyahu can be seen as someone who is trying, in his own way, to imitate the appearance of National Unity Party leader Benny Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who since the beginning of the war have been seen dressed in black in public. Compared to their approachable appearance, Netanyahu's suits give him a slightly detached from reality look.

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Netanyahu is not the first leader to use clothes to convey non-verbal messages, be it to Israeli citizens or world leaders. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky realized this and has used it during the war between Russia and Ukraine. With this method he burned himself into the international consciousness as a leader through his clothes. In contrast to the Western suits and Putin's luxury brands from the East, Zelensky chose to wear a close-fitting khaki T-shirt, revealing his ruggedness and the Ukrainian army insignia above the heart.

He wore it to speeches before the European and Israeli parliaments, in TV interviews and in photos when he was visiting the wounded in hospitals. The choice of a t-shirt, one of the most accessible items of clothing in the wardrobe, gives Zelensky such a casual look that the American economist Peter Schiff tweeted after Zelensky's speech to Congress: "I understand that times are hard, but doesn't the president of the Ukraine own a suit?"

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There is no expectation that Netanyahu (who will celebrate his 74th birthday on Saturday) will squeeze himself into a military T-shirt. Furthermore, that look was taken about 10 months ago by his biggest opponents in civil society, the "Brothers in Arms" protest group, who have demonstrated against the government wearing khaki T-shirts across the country. More than that, Netanyahu understands that he needs to visually detach himself from the military personnel, who, unlike him, have already taken responsibility for the intelligence and leadership failure after the horrific events of last week.

Netanyahu is the Israeli politician who most understands the importance of his image in the media and outside of it. One example of the importance of imaging is the hug with Biden on Wednesday, like a child running into the arms of his father he hasn't seen for a long time, that stars in the headlines of all the news sites in the world.

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Netanyahu knows that his name will be signed in the history books as the prime minister during the war, and next to him will also appear photos from that campaign that will reflect his image. He does not intend to abandon this image.