Political analysts agreed that the escalating dispute between the Israeli occupation army and the government of Benjamin Netanyahu will reinforce the internal division in Israel, especially with the army’s conviction that it is being used to serve a political and ideological agenda in favor of the extreme right.
According to Palestinian writer and political analyst Ahmed Al-Haila, there is a feeling sweeping the occupation army, its officers, and its chief of staff that Netanyahu is wasting opportunities to accomplish something in Gaza, by pushing them towards new battles in the north and south of the Gaza Strip.
Speaking on the program “Gaza: What Next?”, Al-Haila expected that the army’s announcement that 50 soldiers had been injured during the past 24 hours in Gaza would reinforce the division with the Netanyahu government, adding that the army feels that it is being consumed and used to achieve the goals of the right.
He pointed out that the differences existed before October 7 due to judicial amendments, but they increased after this date and the failure to achieve the goals of the war, and Netanyahu’s attempt to hold the military establishment responsible for that.
According to Al-Hila, the scene in Gaza is complicated for Netanyahu after he failed to “accumulate tactical achievements into strategic ones” thanks to the steadfastness and resistance of the Palestinian people, which turned the battle into attrition, in parallel with the failure of the occupation army to build a political equation for the so-called day after the war.
He stressed that Netanyahu’s options are limited after wasting a new opportunity to stop the aggression, end the prisoner issue, and settle the situation in Gaza, suggesting that he will push for the option of military force to weaken the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) by controlling the Salah al-Din axis after occupying the Rafah crossing.
Netanyahu believes – according to the Palestinian political analyst – that this option is a prelude to a civilian administration of the Gaza Strip under Israeli security and military control, but at the same time he stressed that the balance of power on the ground is what draws these plans, expecting a “freeze” of ceasefire negotiations pending the features of an invasion. Rafah and its consequences.
Netanyahu and continue to evade
For his part, Ihab Jabareen, a writer specializing in Israeli affairs, says that the occupation army is trying to regroup after the failure of October 7, while Netanyahu is trying to evade the concept of absolute victory and the “day after the war” scenario.
Israel has always tried to wage short wars in order to avoid these scenarios – according to Jabareen – who said that the Netanyahu government attaches importance to the settlements in Gaza, citing the participation of 10 ministers and members of the Knesset in a related conference, while there was no ministerial participation in a conference on prisoners.
He pointed out that Netanyahu is reducing the number of his opponents, such as opposition leader Yair Lapid and War Council members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, due to their lack of political experience, which strengthens his uniqueness in the domestic arena.
He added that Netanyahu does not care about the yellow card that Washington issued to him, noting that he has built an “iron dome” that confronts external attacks and is trying to deal with internal pressures, especially since he has an ideological project to control the land and “communize” the Israeli right.
“Playing on contradictions”
For his part, the military and strategic expert, Major General Fayez Al-Duwairi, said that what happened today in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza City and the Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip, and 3 days ago in Rafah in the south, will reinforce the division in Israel.
According to Al-Duwairi, these events bring to mind the start of operations in eastern Gaza last December, and what was said at the time about the dismantling of the Al-Qassam Brigades – the military wing of Hamas – in the northern sector.
He believes that Israel’s talk about eliminating Hamas, dismantling its military wing, and restoring prisoners went unheeded, citing the occupation army’s announcement that 50 soldiers were injured in the last 24 hours, in addition to the destruction of a troop carrier and the targeting of 8 Israeli tanks, according to Al-Qassam statements.
Regarding the expected field scene, the military expert says that what is currently happening in terms of expanding the circle of fighting to include all parts of the Gaza Strip is an actual translation of the statements of Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant, expecting a retreat and redeployment of Israeli forces to absorb the shock of today’s losses in the northern Gaza Strip.
Al-Duwairi suggested that the aerial bombardment will continue, and warning messages will continue to be sent to displace new groups of Gazans, in parallel with ground maneuvers near the border fence, as Netanyahu seeks to continue playing on Washington’s contradictions and buy more time.