The goals of the war on the Gaza Strip are unattainable, said IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari in an interview on the Israeli TV channel Channel 13 on Wednesday. Several episodes in recent weeks testify to the political division in Israel. At the core is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the IDF, in October 2023. This week he was out with a jab at Prime Minister Netanyahu’s plans for the war on the Gaza Strip. Photo: Gil Cohen-Magen / AFP The chief of defense has criticized the lack of a plan for who will rule Gaza when the IDF withdraws, two ministers in the war cabinet have resigned for the same reason, and on Sunday many were shocked when the IDF announced daily pauses in warfare in Gaza – not least Netanyahu, who heard about the plans for the first time. Such a public conflict between the political and military leadership in the country is not something we usually see. Is it the start of something bigger? Who said what? – This is about the fact that right from the start the goals for this war were both unattainable and not concrete or measurable, says Prio researcher Jørgen Jensehaugen. Jørgen Jensehaugen is a historian and researcher at Prio. He specializes in the conflict between Israel and the Arab countries. Photo: ISMAIL BURAK AKKAN / news When Israel formally declared war on Hamas the day after the terrorist attack on October 7, Netanyahu made it clear what the goal was: Crush Hamas Get the hostages home In the Channel 13 interview on Wednesday, the IDF’s Hagari said: It is impossible to crush Hamas with military force We cannot bring home hostages through military warfare – This destroying Hamas, wiping them out – it is throwing sand in the eyes of the people, said Hagari, and continued: – Hamas is an ideology, a party. It has stuck in the hearts of the people. Anyone who thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong. Netanyahu quickly hit back hard, and reminded that the IDF is obliged to follow the government’s defined goals for the war. Earlier in the week, he hinted that the army has several times not followed what the government has decided. – Let me remind you that Israel is a country with an army, not an army with a country, he is said to have said in a meeting in the war cabinet, according to The Times of Israel. Large protests in Tel Aviv in February to get hostages back from Gaza. Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP Wear and tear in the ranks Hagari’s outburst was a rare direct jab at how Netanyahu leads the war in the Gaza Strip, but joins a series of similar grumblings, says Jensehaugen. – Here we see clear wear and tear over time. Right after the attack in October, the nation stood together for an Israeli response. Opinion polls showed that the majority supported the plans for the war then. – Now almost nine months have passed. Israel is in a quagmire. There is wear and tear on the troops, the death toll is high, and all this happens without anyone seeing a clear goal for the war, says Jensehaugen. Protesters in Tel Aviv demand the release of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas to the Gaza Strip on 7 October. Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins / Reuters He emphasizes that when the Israelis now criticize the war, it is not the suffering on the Palestinian side that most of them think of. Israel is calling for a reprioritization of the goals for the war: – First get the hostages out, then defeat Hamas. But Netanyahu is determined to do it in the opposite order, says Jensehaugen. Break with previous wars The IDF is not in the habit of criticizing the leadership while they are in the middle of a war. The dishes usually come afterwards, says political commentator Tal Schneider in the Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel. But the war on the Gaza Strip now differs from other wars Israel has participated in. – Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, formulated three principles that have guided all Israeli warfare until now, she says to news. Never fight several wars at the same time, carry out all wars quickly and brutally, and always have the backing of a world power. In addition, the classic Israeli defense strategy is based on wars being fought on the enemy’s territory, never on Israeli soil, explains Schneider. – Netanyahu broke all the basic rules with this war. The IDF is fighting on several fronts now, and the war has been going on for a long time, while our prime minister is pushing the United States away by arguing with the leaders there. Dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is increasing in Israel. Now there is also a trickle from the army. Photo: Jack Guez / AFP Who is to blame? Both Jensehaugen and Schneider put forward a question that drives forward the division between the army and the governing authorities. Who is responsible for the 7 October attack being able to happen? Schneider sees that more and more of the Israeli population believe that Netanyahu must step down as prime minister now. This also applies to several politicians, both in opposition and government. – People do not trust Netanyahu after the attack happened on his watch, he who fronted himself as “Mr. Security”. And several highlight the strategy he has had to strengthen Hamas’s position for several years, she explains. But Netanyahu is trying to shift the blame onto the IDF. Jensehaugen believes it is in the prime minister’s nature to shift responsibility to someone else. – But precisely in the fact that Israel is to be a country with an army, and not the other way around, lies the fact that the head of state is responsible for the military and any mistakes they make, says Jensehaugen. He believes that Hagari may be interested in going against Netanyahu publicly if it means that he preserves the integrity of the military. – The settlement will come at one point or another, and it weakens the army terribly to pursue an unattainable war in which the entire international reputation of Israel is destroyed. Demonstrators hold up a poster showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the words “Impeachment now!”. More and more people want new elections in Israel. Photo: Menahem Kahana / AFP What’s happening now? Even though June has offered massive criticism of the Netanyahu government, Schneider does not believe that this is the start of a complete unraveling of the Israeli leadership. Nor is Jensehaugen convinced. – It is clear that this puts further pressure on the political division in the country which revolves around Netanyahu as a person. He will lose a new election, and he also risks prison for the convictions he has. At the same time, he is a political leader who manages to take advantage of the fact that everyone is against him. If there is anyone who can maneuver this pressure, it is him. Published 21.06.2024, at 22.07
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Open conflict between the IDF and Netanyahu – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
