Netanyahu’s war aim ‘not hostages, but occupation of Gaza’
JERUSALEM
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) meets with US President Joe Biden for a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House, in Washington, DC, USA, 25 July 2024.
In a widely resonant analysis, a prominent Israeli newspaper has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of prioritizing the prolonged occupation of the Gaza Strip over the return of hostages during the war.
Aluf Benn, an Israeli journalist writing for Israeli renowned daily Haaretz, penned an article entitled, "Netanyahu's war goal is not the hostages’ return. It’s occupation of Gaza."
Benn underscored Netanyahu's perception that the Israeli public's focus on the hostages and their fates is a “political weapon” wielded by his opponents, which he sees as an impediment to his objective of achieving "long-term occupation" or establishing "total Israeli security control" over the Gaza Strip.
The Haaretz writer said that Israel years-long occupation of the West Bank has shown that a large Jewish city in Gaza cannot be built, saying that the goal is shifted to a gradual one.
“57 years of Israeli occupation in the West Bank teach us that no large Jewish city will be erected tomorrow in Gaza; the 'creeping occupation' will advance caravan after caravan, outpost after outpost,” he said.
Benn predicted that Gaza’s south would be left to Hamas, and the Palestinian group would be forced to take care of the poor people in the area after the international community's interest in the crisis in the region wanes.
He asserted that Israel would control the northern part of the Gaza Strip and displace 300,000 Palestinians residing there. Benn recalled that retired Major General Giora Eiland, whom he identifies as the architect of Israel’s occupation in Gaza, proposed starving this population and exiling them as leverage against Hamas.
Lastly, Benn noted that Netanyahu is sure that even if Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate, wins the upcoming U.S. elections, the influence of pro-Palestinian demonstrators on American politics will diminish.
Regardless of the election's outcome, Benn anticipated that Washington would act to prevent Iran from escalating tensions and will likely become embroiled in a conflict "to save Israel."
Intel warns of collapse of national security
Meanwhile, Israel's internal security service Shin Bet warned that rising attacks by illegal Israeli settlers on Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank could lead to a collapse of national security.
The warning came in a message sent by Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar to Netanyahu.
In the message, Bar cautioned that “the increasing crimes committed by settlers in the West Bank will lead to an explosion of violence and further bloodshed between both sides, ultimately causing a national security collapse in Israel,” it reported.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, accusing him of actions that “endanger Israel's national security.”
Gallant expressed his support for the intel chief who called for Ben-Gvir’s dismissal following warnings about the impact of Ben-Gvir's support for violence in the occupied West Bank and incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
