-Analysis-
CAIRO — The Israeli aggression on Gaza is entering its sixth month, with the occupation failing to achieve its declared goals of eliminating Hamas and returning the hostages — And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still not budging.
He has declared that his war will continue, not only until achieving “absolute victory,” but also in order to impose Israel’s security control over Gaza in a way that will “transform its reality into something similar to the West Bank.”
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Netanyahu’s vision for the future of Gaza was published by the Times of Israel last weekend, citing sources in the Prime Minister’s Office. The sources spoke about a plan aimed at changing the reality of the entire Gaza Strip and turning it into “a security-permissible area,” as is currently the case in the occupied West Bank.“
It will take a year or two until the first phase of the fighting ends with the elimination of Hamas, followed by another eight years until an alternative government is formed there, if it is formed at all,” the Times of Israel reported. “Throughout this period, Israel will continue its presence in Gaza.”
This is how Netanyahu plans for Gaza’s future. He aims to disarm its factions, so that it will be run by a Palestinian authority similar to the Ramallah authority, which will allow him to carry out “endless attacks” on what he describes as “terrorist centers,” and carry out raids and detentions like those carried out by his army in the cities of the West Bank.
“There will be no military rule for Gaza, and there are, at the present time, no plans to establish Israeli settlements,” according to announced details of the plan. “There will be an occupation from afar.”
The features of the plan, which was almost certainly leaked deliberately to the press, present it as a closed question: the Israeli Prime Minister does not want to stop the war on Gaza short of achieving a complete “victory” that enables him to whitewash his reputation and erase the shame of his failure stemmed from the humiliating defeat of his army and security services on October 7.
Breaking morale of Gazans
Netanyahu and his far-right allies seek to break the morale of Gaza’s people who are constantly facing death, and to make them regret their support of the Oct. 7 “al-Aqsa Flood,” to dismantle the popular bastion of the resistance. That has been proven through Netanyahu’s failure of any negotiations that could lead to a ceasefire – even a temporary one; and the continuation of his daily massacres and destruction of Gaza neighborhood by neighborhood to turn it into an uninhabitable place.
Netanyahu and his generals have not tried to cover up their criminal objectives, which are supported by their allies in the United States and the West. “We want to change the balance of power against terrorist elements and other enemies,” Netanyahu said, declaring that his policy of changing the equation is working well and is applicable in the broader circle. “Whoever chooses to harass us at the borders and outside of Israel will bring destruction and devastation upon themselves… We will not hesitate using force, and if necessary, striking the enemy’s centers of power.”
It won’t be limited to his removal from office.
Netanyahu and his partners in Israel’s war cabinet repeat that their country is waging a “war of survival,” a claim that may be correct, as Oct. 7 was not like other bouts of fighting in the 75-year-long conflict. Rather, it can be viewed as a first step on the path to liberating all of Palestinian territories and the annihilation of the Zionist entity.
But the Prime Minister, we should remember, is also concerned about his political future, preserving his post as prime minister — and his historical legacy.
He seeks to escape the dramatic fate that will haunt him if the war ends without achieving its declared goals. It won’t be limited to his removal from office, because he could wind up in prison for earlier corruption charges.
Waiting for Trump
By prolonging the war and his hate speech, Netanyahu also aims to recycle his collapsing popularity. The King of Israel, as his supporters like to call him, is losing his popularity progressively, with the growing likelihood that Benny Gantz would be the next prime minister if elections are held now.
Netanyahu fears that the ceasefire — even a temporary one — would trigger a major political shock that will lead to early elections.
Shalom Yerushalmi, a political analyst at the Times of Israel, says Netanyahu is holding steady against criticism from within Joe Biden’s administration, knowing that the U.S. has entered into an election cycle.
Yerushalmi says that the continuation of the war on Gaza, and the 10-year plan to remain in Gaza, is an attempt to wait for Trump, whom Netanyahu and his men see as the “savior.”
For the Palestinians, the worst scenario is for Netanyahu to remain in office until Trump’s return to the Oval Office. Both men are united by the goal of liquidating the entire Palestinian cause; have the whole Middle East join the normalization of ties with Israel; and integration of Israel as a natural entity in the region.
Tired soldiers
Fortunately Netanyahu’s plans for the future of Gaza clash with a number of issues, most notably the steadfastness of the resistance and the continuation of its valiant operations, which inflict heavy losses on the enemy every day, in addition to the escalation of support operations from other resistance arenas: Hezbollah from the north and attacks by the Houthi group from the south, amid expectations of expanding operations as ceasefire negotiations are in standstill.
Also, with the entry of the month of Ramadan, it is expected that situation will flare up in the cities of the West Bank, especially after the Qassam Brigades called for a “general mobilisation” in the West Bank and other occupied cities, to support Gaza’s people and defend Al-Aqsa mosque (the Muslim holy site in Jerusalem).
Israel has begun losing international support even from its closest allies.
Amid the expected escalation in Palestinian cities, domestic pressure on Netanyahu and his allies is doubling from the families of the hostages; from some Israelis who recently issued a call to stop the war; and from the leaders of the exhausted military that is looking for a pause to catch its breath.
“The soldiers are tired,” Israeli Channel 13 reported.
In addition, Israel has begun losing international support even from its closest allies. Most European governments that provided military, material, and political aid to the Jewish state face strong opposition from their peoples, who continue to protest to stop the genocidal operations conducted by the occupation army against the people of Gaza.
