And the pressure from Obama’s America does not factor into his decisions at all?
Destroy Hamas? Do you really think that that would have went over well on the world stage?
And yet he is viewed as a monster on the world stage anyway. He had the support of his population to deal much harsher with Hamas and he took nearly every ceasefire opportunity presented to him. In fact, his handling of that conflict infuriated many in his coalition who believe his policy of "quiet for quiet" simply guarantees another conflict in Gaza a couple years down the road.
Here is an article that discusses the objections of many on the right to what they perceive as Bibi's lack of aggressiveness in dealing with Hamas:
Israelis Angry With Netanyahu Over Gaza Ceasefires
http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/24860/Default.aspx
There are plenty of others if you care to look.
Again, my point was simply that Bibi is regarded as this tough guy military hawk in the US and West in general - while in Israel many, particularly on the right, view him as overly cautious in dealing with Hamas, Iran, etc.
My post was not about whether his decisions were wise or not, simply that the perception here is not what it is in Israel.