Bethan McKernan in Jerusalem reports for the Guardian that there is a growing sense in Israel – not for the first time – that Netanyahu is running out of options.
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“He is world champion at stalling, making all sides sick of him and ultimately evading paying the bill when it comes due,” the commentator Ben Caspit wrote in the centrist Israeli daily Ma’ariv on Tuesday. But even a political master such as Netanyahu couldn’t hold off much longer on making a decision on a deal, Caspit said. “He has to make a real decision. Not a sort-of decision, not a pretend decision, not an on-condition decision and not a temporary decision. A decision.”
Far-right members of the prime minister’s coalition have threatened to quit the coalition if Israel “surrenders” before “total victory” over Hamas, while his leading rival, the centrist Benny Gantz, has said he will resign from the emergency unity government if Netanyahu does not commit to a deal and “day after” plan for Gaza by 8 June. (McKernan, n.d.)
Staying in office is Netanyahu’s best chance of evading prosecution for corruption on charges he denies. But the longtime leader was forced into a corner when Joe Biden unveiled a new truce and hostage release plan, which he said was an Israeli proposal.
The Middle East and Africa section of the Economist reports on the revolt against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from his war cabinet and generals in the Israel-Hamas war who want a new plan—and a new boss.
Besides the generals, two key figures have flipped from being reluctant partners of Mr Netanytahu, as ministers in his war cabinet, into open opponents. On May 15th Yoav Gallant, the defence minister, who is also the subject of a request from the ICC, stated in public that his plans to create a new governing entity in Gaza, with heavy Palestinian representation, “had not been discussed and worse, no alternative has been proposed instead”. Three days later, Benny Gantz, Mr Netanyahu’s most powerful rival, said that “crucial decisions have not been made,” and accused a “small minority” of “taking control of the bridge of the Israeli ship and steering it to the rocks”. He said he would quit the war cabinet if there was no change of course by June 8th. (The Revolt Against Binyamin Netanyahu, 2024)
If Mr Netanyahu bends to the demands of his more centrist critics, or is toppled, the second question is what a new policy on Gaza would look like.
The likes of Mr Gantz and Mr Gallant agree that Israel should not run Gaza’s affairs; all implicitly think, however, that the IDF should retain a strong security presence in the strip. There is less agreement on the end-game that follows any de-escalation of the war. The Biden administration wants a pathway to an eventual Palestinian state. Mr Gallant and Mr Gantz are reluctant to endorse this, not least because it would be unpopular in Israel.
References
McKernan, B. (n.d.). Pressure grows on Benjamin Netanyahu to back Gaza ceasefire plan. the Guardian. Retrieved June 6, 2024, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jun/04/pressure-grows-on-benjamin-netanyahu-to-back-gaza-ceasefire-plan
The revolt against Binyamin Netanyahu. (2024, May 19). The Economist. Retrieved June 6, 2024, from https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2024/05/19/the-revolt-against-binyamin-netanyahu
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