As the Israeli army battled Hamas militants in northern and southern Gaza on Tuesday, the Israeli government is facing growing discontent from military officials.
Current and former senior military officers have begun to argue more openly that because the government has not laid out a plan for what happens after the fighting in Gaza, the Israeli military is being forced – in the eighth month of the war – fighting for areas again. in the north of the territory where Hamas militants have returned. That cycle has no clear end in sight and ceasefire negotiations appear to have stalled, with risks to soldiers rising.
Two Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid professional consequences, said some generals and war cabinet members were disappointed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not developing and publishing the protocol. process of building an alternative to Hamas for governing Gaza.
They said Netanyahu’s unwillingness to have a serious conversation about “the day after tomorrow” has made it easier for Hamas to rehabilitate itself in places like Jabaliya in northern Gaza, where Israel first attacked in October. – and where it launched a new air and ground offensive this week.
Eran Lerman, Israel’s deputy national security adviser from 2006 to 2015, said the backlash Israel is facing from much of the world over the war and the growing number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza , partly due to “a lack of coherent vision of future solutions.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted calls to end the fighting, saying there can be no civilian government in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. On Monday, in one podcast interviewHe said the territory first needs “sustained demilitarization by Israel” because “no one will come until they know that you have destroyed Hamas or you are about to destroy Hamas.”
But with the growing number of analysts and officials question whether Israel can achieve such a broad goalStronger criticism from sections of the military reflects a growing rift with the Netanyahu government.
While Israeli strategists said they expected troops to return to some areas in Gaza in the later stages of the war, two Israeli officials said the start of establishing a governing body was The new regime in Gaza will make things more difficult for Hamas – and may ease tensions. burden on the Israeli army.
Military leaders are “frustrated that they are being assigned a recurring military mission like Groundhog Day, because of political and combat questions,” said Michael Koplow, an analyst at the Israel Policy Forum. The larger strategy has not yet been answered by the government.”
For Mr. Netanyahu, political considerations involved trying to cobble together a government with right-wing parties that had demanded an all-out attack on Gaza in the face of American opposition and unwillingness to support such attacks. What the Arab countries require as a precondition for their help. in Gaza: the path to a Palestinian state.
If Mr. Netanyahu goes too far with their demands, they will threaten to overthrow the government, which could leave Mr. Netanyahu facing a series of corruption charges over which he has no power as prime minister. General.
Dr. Lerman, former deputy national security advisor, recently published a plan proposed to other scholars at the Wilson Center calls for a multinational authority to manage and monitor Gaza, led by the United States, Egypt, and other countries. It was shared with Israeli authorities.
Other proposals include efforts to strengthen the Palestinian Authority, which currently administers the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but the Israeli government has also reject that ideabelieve that the authority is not a competent and trustworthy partner.
Former Israeli officials have warned about the lack of post-war planning even before the ground offensive in Gaza began. Israeli officials said that on October 14, a week after a devastating Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people and began Israel’s military offensive, Tzipi Livni, the former foreign minister, called calls on the government to consider Gaza’s post-war future.
“Otherwise,” she said, “we will be stuck there unnecessarily and pay a heavy price.”
In an interview Tuesday, she said this is exactly what happened.
“Imagine if we had decided this earlier and started working sooner with the US, the Palestinian Authority, Egypt, the UAE and the Saudis,” she said, referring to the United Arab Emirates . “It will be much easier.”
Johnatan Reiss And Gabby Sobelman Report contributions.
