Netanyahu vs. the world
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues his flight and has announced that he will launch a plan to occupy the Strip, starting with its main population, Gaza City, where an estimated one million people live. Netanyahu has encountered resistance from his own general staff, which believes the army currently does not have enough troops to sustain an operation of this nature over time and that, furthermore, it would put the lives of the hostages still in the hands of Hamas at risk.
The truth is that Netanyahu's decision has received strong criticism abroad, but also at home, where demonstrations of support for the families of the hostages and against the occupation of Gaza are expected. On the diplomatic front, Israel is increasingly left alone. A country like Germany, which until now had always refused to approve reprisals against Israel or openly condemn the siege of Gaza, has announced that it is halting the export of arms that could be used against the Palestinians.
Analysts consulted by ARA warn that Israel has previously attempted to take complete control of Gaza and has so far always failed. This involves operating in a densely populated area that has also been devastated by bombing, where people lack basic supplies and where the enemy, Hamas, moves easily through its network of underground tunnels. Why should it work now? No one knows, because the Israeli government has not provided any details of the operation. Only photographs of military leaders meeting to discuss how to respond to the government's request have been made public.
In a way, the Israeli prime minister's move also buries any diplomatic options, as negotiations with Hamas are suspended. However, Netanyahu will be able to act on the right path as long as he has Washington's support. Only Donald Trump, who these days insists he wants to win the Nobel Peace Prize and is sponsoring an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, could force Netanyahu to abandon his plans and return to the negotiating table.
The decision is surely due to Netanyahu's growing impatientness and fear of losing the support of the population. On October 7, it will be two years since the horrific Hamas attacks that left 1,139 dead and 250 people taken hostage. Aside from Netanyahu's failure to take responsibility for the security lapses that led to this massacre, the Israeli prime minister has also failed to meet the two goals he set for himself: destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages. Not even his strategic victories against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against the Iranian regime have managed to cover up this failure. After two years, Israeli society is beginning to show signs of fatigue with Gaza, and its prime minister is offering them only a path of war with no peace in sight.
