The Associated Press said that there is a growing feeling among many Israelis that their army faces only “bad choices” in the Gaza Strip, which raises comparisons with wars such as the ones America fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The agency confirms – in an analytical article – that after a “brutal war” that lasted for more than 7 months, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), whose forces have diminished without being completely deterred, is still regrouping its ranks in some of the most affected areas in the northern Gaza Strip and resuming its missile attacks. On Israel.
She indicated that this growing feeling is the implicit meaning of what she described as the “rebellion” carried out recently by two of the most prominent members of the War Council, namely Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Benny Gantz, the main political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who demanded that the latter develop a detailed plan for the post-war period. the war.
The agency said that the two retired generals now fear the possibility of a long and costly reoccupation of the Gaza Strip, from which Israel withdrew in 2005, and at the same time they oppose a complete withdrawal that would return control to Hamas or lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Instead – the agency adds – they put forward 4 alternatives that many Israelis see as largely “unrealistic”.
These alternatives are either a “large-scale military occupation” of the Gaza Strip, a partial occupation supported by internal partners or Arab countries, or a “grand deal” under which Gaza will be governed by the reformed Palestinian Authority with the help of Arab and Islamic countries in exchange for Israel’s commitment to a path of peace. Credibility ultimately leads to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The last alternative – according to the agency – is a “deal with Hamas” that includes a temporary agreement under which the movement releases all its prisoners in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, in addition to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, a long ceasefire and reconstruction.
