Minister Benny Gantz reiterated that with or without a temporary pause in the fighting for the release of our hostages, we will enter Rafah and eliminate the remaining Hamas battalions.
Later, before the end of Shabbat, Netanyahu sent another message, in which he denied reports saying Israel had agreed to a cease-fire as part of a deal.
Gantz hit the nail on the head this time. Netanyahu is fleeing from a hostage deal. The closer it gets, the faster he runs to avoid it. At least twice in recent months he has sabotaged the sensitive moves toward a deal, whether through public statements or covert messages, or by curbing the mandate of the negotiating team. It was no different this time.
What was the point of these statements, before Hamas had even responded to the proposal, if not to thwart and sabotage.
It is not the 33 hostages who might be released – the sick, the injured, the old; women, including female soldiers – who are uppermost in his thoughts, but rather the 64 Knesset members of his coalition and above all, himself, the head of the government of failure and the October 07 massacre, the criminal defendant, the leader who has lost his people’s trust, the politician whose promises of “total victory” in Gaza if we can only eliminate the four remaining Hamas battalions are dismissed by an overwhelming majority of Israelis, including rightists.
Netanyahu had hoped that the Egyptian proposal, which was more far-reaching than anything he had been willing to accept in the past, would be rejected by Hamas. Over the weekend, when the negotiations took a positive turn, Netanyahu found himself in distress, as was expressed by his flurry of statements. Given the familiarity with his family environment, including his pampered son on the front in Miami, his fright is indeed understandable.
If Hamas says “yes” and even if it adds a “but” in one form or another, Netanyahu will have no choice but to carry through what he agreed with Egypt and the United States. Doing so could lead his Kahanist right flank to bring down the government.
If his attempts at sabotage succeed, the National Union could pull out of the government and its leaders, who still have the trust of a large section of the public, would join the growing calls for early elections.
Is it any wonder he is hysterical? His other options aren’t promising either. If the deal doesn’t go through, he is already committed to ordering the IDF to begin an operation in Rafah. That would cause trouble with the Egyptians and Americans.
And if he does opt for an operation in Rafah, then what kind of operation? An intense, broad campaign of the kind the IDF waged in Khan Yunis and Gaza City will be the final straw that will make Israel an outcast and lead to Netanyahu being accused of war crimes. A ‘feeble’ operation will make him a regional and global joke.
Netanyahu’s well known conduct showed itself vis-a-vis the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which is considering issuing arrest warrants against him (and other senior government and IDF officials). Instead of taking discreet action through diplomatic channels, Netanyahu lashed out at the court, threatening and cursing it, contrary to all the legal advice he received. The court ended up putting out an extraordinary statement over the weekend in which it rejected the threats and scare tactics.
One may ask, what leads Netanyahu to shoot himself in the foot over and again. The answer is connected to his psyche. His default is to exercise force. Just as he applied force in the dealings with the judicial system, the State Prosecutor’s Office and the attorney general before charges were filed against him, he is doing the same thing now with an international legal forum.
Pressure, incitement and threats didn’t prevent an indictment being filed against him. Neither will they prevent arrest warrants being issued – if the ongoing inquiry comes to the conclusion that they should be issued.
Netanyahu has mot learnt any lesson, he doesn’t draw conclusions. His flawed personality, his temper tantrums, his submission to his wife and his son’s craziness, drag him into humiliation every time, and humiliates the country that has the misfortune to have Netanyahu as its leader.
The total failure who sits in the Prime Minister’s Office has succeeded over the past 211 days in leading Israel out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Even right now, he and his wife are dealing with what’s really important: The Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony. Miri Regev, the minister for duplicity and flattery who has appropriated the ceremony for herself has managed to cross Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, one of the family’s lead courtesans and eunuchs, who was appointed to all his positions thanks to his close ties with Netanyahu’s son Yair.
This too, it turns out, is not enough, when what is at stake is the ceremony that is the prized possession of he who fears (justifiably so) the rage of Israelis who have had enough of him.
He announced that he would stay away from the Israel Prize and Bible Quiz ceremonies. When it comes to the torch lighting ceremony, which will be held without an audience – for the same reason – the diplomatic official will send a selfie propaganda reel.
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