re: #1 SanFranciscoZionist

Some possibilities, which are not mutually exclusive, include:

1. Need for more attention/publicity.
2. Desire for making an issue his own and running with it/controlling it/owning it.
3. He actually believes that this is _the_ critical issue Israel is facing.

One big negative is that the issue will begin to be directly tied to him. Which could cause others to back away from supporting an otherwise important position. That is, it could become a polarizing rather than uniting issue. I suspect that after his UN appearance, he became quieter on the issue in an attempt to forestall that close association.

And of course, the timing of both the Netanyahu interview, and the New York Times article could be seen to have US directed political overtones.

That, of course, is important as the US is a major ally of Israel. Being a leader who can influence this critical ally in Israel’s favor is a major positive, while being one who inflames the relationship would be seen as a kiss of political death.