Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, the Israeli security cabinet voted for yet another military expansion: the proposed takeover of Gaza City. The plan, which was initiated and pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself, arguably reveals more about his domestic political maneuvering than evidence of any well-thought-out military strategy.
The plan was adopted despite the Israeli military leadership’s fierce objection and grave warnings it could both deepen the humanitarian crisis and endanger the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza., The major expansion of the war also comes against the backdrop of a fundamental erosion of support for Israel around the world, and a decline in internal public backing for the continuation of the war.
And yet, Netanyahu pushed his plan forward, as it has at least one unstated benefit: it gives him time to fight for his political survival. And with his current far-right coalition partners, that means prolonging the war. Time and again, Netanyahu’s allies, Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, have thwarted and aborted progress in ceasefire negotiations by threatening to collapse his government if the war were to end.
Netanyahu’s plan to besiege Gaza City actually falls short of what his coalition partners demand: Ben Gvir and Smotrich are pushing for a full occupation of the embattled enclave as a first step for rebuilding the Jewish settlements in Gaza and ultimately annexing the territory. It is also less than what Netanyahu himself had been selling ahead of the meeting.
In an interview on Thursday, Netanyahu told Fox News that Israel intends to take control of all of Gaza, as if he had made up his mind to fully occupy the territory.
