“Netanyahu is undoubtedly at one of his strongest points in the Likud,” a senior Likud minister told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity the evening of Sept. 26, upon returning from the party’s annual toast for the Jewish New Year. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the only speaker at the event, and the minister's statement is an accurate reflection of Netanyahu’s show of power that evening. He stood alone at the top of the party’s hierarchy. Even former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon didn’t enjoy such stature at the height of his own power in the Likud. He was, of course, challenged by none other than Netanyahu, who was busy with his large base of supporters doing all he could to replace Sharon.

Before Netanyahu’s plane had landed after his visit to the United States, over a thousand party activists were already waiting for him in the crowded hall in Kfar Maccabiah. They were understanding about having to wait for hours, a wait that grew even longer when Netanyahu finally arrived. Before they saw him enter the hall, he shut himself off in a private side room to freshen up, put on his makeup and go over his long speech. He corrected and improved it, erased and added to it, until he thought it was the perfect text. Only then did he step out to the crowd.

Unlike previous occasions, however, despite the long, exhausting wait and the late hour, these Likud supporters greeted Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, with one of the warmest, most heartfelt receptions in years. Maybe it was because he has managed to keep them in power in election after election for the past seven years. In their eyes, Netanyahu is in a league of his own.

Netanyahu’s entrance was met with exultant cheers from his Likud supporters. Cellphones were pulled out as if he were a rock star. Netanyahu strode in confidently, waving his hands and relishing the applause and every cheer of “Yay, Bibi!” Over the past few years, Netanyahu has managed to hone the feeling among the Likud that it is “us against the world,” the world being what he considers the dangerous left, with its willingness to make concessions, and the media that attacks him and his wife on what he believes to be a daily basis. In that sense, Netanyahu had come home.