Netanyahu eyes Iran, his arch foe

According to Reuters, 2025 will be a year of reckoning for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is set to cement his strategic goals: tightening his military control over Gaza, thwarting Iran's nuclear ambitions and capitalizing on the dismantling of Tehran's allies - Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and the removal of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

Assad's collapse, the elimination of the top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and the destruction of their military structure mark a succession of monumental wins for Netanyahu.

Without Syria, the alliances Tehran has nurtured for decades have unraveled. As Iran's influence weakens, Israel is emerging as the dominant power in the region.

Netanyahu is poised to zero in on Iran's nuclear ambitions and missile program, applying an unyielding focus to dismantling and neutralizing these strategic threats to Israel.

Iran, Middle East observers say, faces a stark choice: Either continue its nuclear enrichment program or scale back its atomic activities and agree to negotiations.

"Iran is very vulnerable to an Israeli attack, particularly against its nuclear program," said Joost R. Hiltermann, Middle East and North Africa Program Director of the International Crisis Group. "I wouldn't be surprised if Israel did it, but that doesn't get rid of Iran."

"If they (Iranians) do not back down, Trump and Netanyahu might strike, as nothing now prevents them," said Palestinian analyst Ghassan al-Khatib, referring to President-elect Donald Trump. Khatib argued that the Iranian leadership, having demonstrated pragmatism in the past, may be willing to compromise to avert a military confrontation.

Trump, who withdrew from a 2015 agreement between Iran and six world powers aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear goals, is likely to step up sanctions on Iran's oil industry, despite calls to return to negotiations from critics who see diplomacy as a more effective long-term policy.

Amid the turmoil of Iran and Gaza, Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial, which resumed in December, will also play a defining role in shaping his legacy. For the first time since the outbreak of the Gaza war in 2023, Netanyahu took the stand in proceedings that have bitterly divided Israelis.

With 2024 coming to an end, the Israeli prime minister will likely agree to sign a ceasefire accord with Hamas to halt the 14-month-old Gaza war and free Israeli hostages held in the enclave, according to sources close to the negotiations.

But Gaza would stay under Israeli military control in the absence of a post-war US plan for Israel to cede power to the Palestinian Authority (PA), which Netanyahu rejects. Arab states have shown little inclination to press Israel to compromise or push the decaying PA to overhaul its leadership to take over.

"Israel will remain in Gaza militarily in the foreseeable future because any withdrawal carries the risk of Hamas reorganizing. Israel believes that the only way to maintain the military gains is to stay in Gaza," Khatib told Reuters.

For Netanyahu, such a result would mark a strategic victory, consolidating a status quo that aligns with his vision: Preventing Palestinian statehood while ensuring Israel's long-term control over Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem -- territories internationally recognised as integral to a future Palestinian state.

The Gaza war erupted when Hamas militants stormed into Israel on October 07, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel responded with an air and land offensive that has killed 45,000 people, health authorities there say, displaced 1.2 million and left much of the enclave in ruins.

While the ceasefire pact would bring an immediate end to the Gaza hostilities, it would not address the deeper, decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Arab and Western officials say.

On the ground, prospects for a Palestinian state, an option repeatedly ruled out by Netanyahu's government, have become increasingly unattainable, with Israeli settler leaders optimistic that Trump will align closely with their views.

A surge in settler violence and the increasing confidence of the settler movement - highway billboards in some West Bank areas bear the message in Arabic "No Future in Palestine" - reflect a growing squeeze on Palestinians.

Even if the Trump administration were to push for an end to the conflict, "any resolution would be on Israel’s terms," said Hiltermann of the Crisis Group.

"It's over when it comes to a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians are still there," he said.

In Trump's previous term, Netanyahu secured several diplomatic wins, including the “Deal of the Century,” a US-backed peace plan which Trump floated in 2020 to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The plan, if implemented, marks a dramatic shift in US policy and international agreements by overtly aligning with Israel and deviating sharply from a long-standing land for peace framework that has historically guided negotiations.

It would allow Israel to annex vast stretches of land in the occupied West Bank, including Israeli settlements and the Jordan Valley. It would also recognize Jerusalem as the "undivided capital of Israel" - effectively denying Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem as their capital, a central aspiration in their statehood goals and in accordance with UN resolutions.

SYRIA AT CRITICAL CROSSROADS

Across the border from Israel, Syria stands at a critical juncture following the overthrow of Assad by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel forces, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, better known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani.

Golani now faces the monumental task of consolidating control over a fractured Syria, where the military and police force have collapsed. HTS has to rebuild from scratch, securing borders and maintaining internal stability against threats from jihadists, remnants of the Assad regime, and other adversaries.

The greatest fear among Syrians and observers alike is whether HTS, once linked to al-Qaeda but now presenting itself as a Syrian nationalist force to gain legitimacy, reverts to a rigid Islamist ideology.

The group’s ability or failure to navigate this balance will shape the future of Syria, home to diverse communities of Sunnis, Shi'ites, Alawites, Kurds, Druze and Christians.

"If they succeed in that (Syrian nationalism) there's hope for Syria, but if they revert to their comfort zone of quite strongly ideologically-tainted Islamism, then it's going to be divisive in Syria," said Hiltermann.

"You could have chaos and a weak Syria for a long time, just like we saw in Libya and Iraq."

ICC decision: Any difference for Palestinians?

In an unprecedented move, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a decision that has sent shockwaves through the international community. The court's announcement, delivered on November 22, has sparked widespread discussion and debate about its implications and potential consequences. Does this really mean anything to the Palestinians? The answer is yes as well as no.

On one hand, further intensified pressure on Israel to end its war crimes in Gaza can be anticipated. This could yield short-term gains for Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, including increased humanitarian aid to the Strip and even, from a very skeptical standpoint, a quicker end to the aggression than Israeli authorities have projected. In other words, in an ever-tightening world for the Israeli officials against the background of ICC’s warrant, continuing war on Gaza is a gamble with catastrophic international consequences for the government.

On the other hand, from a more realistic perspective, ICC’s arrest warrant for the two top Israeli figures is merely the beginning of a “Plan B” for Israel. This strategy, employed since the war’s outset alongside the initially stated objectives, aims to enable Israel to withstand an internal collapse.

Plan B, is not a twist in the story of Israel’s plot to expand territory and remove adversaries, but the predesigned next stage should the plan to achieve those objectives fail, the political life of an individual in exchange for the life of an entire, albeit unlawful, state.

In simple words, Netanyahu’s government was greenlighted to “do whatever it takes” to fulfill the purpose of this war since its outset and was warned that he would end up politically dead if the goals were not met. As the prospect of defeat looms, implementation of the “Hannibal Directive” has been initiated at the political level.

Since the start of the recent war on Gaza, which later expanded to Lebanon, this strategy has been the elephant in the room no one was willing to discuss publicly.

Many prominent political and public figures worldwide have relentlessly tried to reduce this war to include only “certain Israeli individuals” rather than the “Israel Project”, in part manifested in an illegitimate occupational state.

They keep accusing Benjamin Netanyahu, along with a handful of other political figures – mostly the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir as well as Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich – of fanning the flames of the war, committing genocide and other atrocities in Gaza and elsewhere, and other acts of political and military violence “that endanger the lives of Israelis” as if they were elected by non-Israelis.

That said, through employing the political Hannibal Directive, the continuation of the “Project Israel” is ensured, by assuring the global public opinion that the individuals responsible for the century’s most horrific crime against humanity have been removed from power.

Therefore, there are two versions – the day after the war with Netanyahu’s government, and the one without it. And the difference lies in the scope of the achievements. Therefore, it is safe to say that ICC’s recent move does not serve the interests of the Palestinians in the long run.

In fact, it makes next to no difference for Palestinians who are in the driver's seat of the Israeli government. Palestinians have endured life under the dominance of all Israeli political factions and classes with little to no practical distinction.

The only way to stop the aggression, genocide, and ethnic cleansing in Palestine, is to stop the occupation of the country. Political views may differ from one Israeli party to another, but their weapons are the same.

Courtesy: Tehran Times

 

 

Arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant

After months of deliberation, the International Criminal Court on Thursday formally issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri.

The ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I, a panel of judges, said in a statement that it unanimously rejected Israel's challenges to arrest warrant applications submitted in May by Karim Khan, the chief prosecutor at the ICC.

"The Chamber issued warrants of arrest for two individuals, Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, for crimes against humanity and war crimes committed from at least October 08, 2023 until at least May 20, 2024, the day the Prosecution filed the applications for warrants of arrest," the panel said, specifically alleging "the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare" and "the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts."

The announcement came as the official death toll from Israel's war on the Gaza Strip surpassed 44,000.

The ICC judges said they "found reasonable grounds to believe" that Netanyahu and Gallant "intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity."

The panel also said it "found reasonable grounds to believe that no clear military need or other justification under international humanitarian law could be identified for the restrictions placed on access for humanitarian relief operations."

"Finally, the Chamber assessed that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population of Gaza," the judges added.

The panel issued a separate statement announcing an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, saying it found "reasonable grounds to believe" he is "responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder; extermination; torture; and rape and other form of sexual violence; as well as the war crimes of murder, cruel treatment, torture; taking hostages; outrages upon personal dignity; and rape and other forms of sexual violence."

Neither the US nor Israel recognize the ICC's jurisdiction, and the decision is expected to spark backlash from both countries.

Over the summer, in response to Khan's May application for arrest warrants, the Republican-led US House of Representatives passed legislation that would impose sanctions on the ICC. More than 40 House Democrats supported the measure, which has not received a vote in the narrowly Democratic Senate.

British Member of Parliament Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party, called the ICC arrest warrants "long overdue" and urged the government of Keir Starmer to "immediately endorse this decision."

"That is the bare minimum," Corbyn wrote on social media. "Will the UK government now, finally, honor its international obligations to prevent genocide and end all arms sales to Israel?"

 

 

Drone strikes Netanyahu’s residence

According to media reports, a drone launched from Lebanon struck the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Caesarea on Saturday.

The Netanyahu's office confirmed in a statement that the drone was aimed at Netanyahu's private home, but noted that the premier and his family were not present at the time of the attack.

Earlier, the Israeli army reported that three drones were fired from Lebanon, with two successfully intercepted and the third crashing into a building in Caesarea. Fortunately, there were no reported casualties from the incident.

This drone attack occurs amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, which have intensified since the Gaza conflict began last October.

Israel has escalated its offensive in Lebanon, resulting in significant casualties, including the deaths of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several other commanders.

The extensive airstrikes, followed by a ground invasion, have claimed over 1,500 lives and displaced approximately 1.2 million people.

Mass Walkout as Global Pariah Addresses UNGA

The public rebuke of the Israeli prime minister demonstrates the international community's rejection of genocide in Gaza. A large number of diplomats and other officials walked out of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City on Friday as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepared to defend his nation's slaughter of more than 41,000 people in the Gaza Strip during the past year and over 700 in Lebanon this week.

Journalists and critics of the "global pariah" shared photos and videos of people filing out of the hall before Netanyahu's address—which came just a day after 25 anti-genocide protesters were arrested for blocking his motorcade in Manhattan.

While there was some audience applause from the sparsely populated room on Friday, Al Jazeera Arabic's Rami Ayari explained that the people you hear cheering the PM during the speech are in the gallery who he brought for that purpose.

Council on American-Islamic Relations national executive director Nihad Awad said in a statement that as the far-right, openly racist Israeli government continues its genocide in Gaza and expands its campaign of state terrorism to civilians in Lebanon, this mass walkout during war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu's UN speech demonstrates the international community's rejection of genocide.

Awad added that US President Joe Biden should take note of our government's growing isolation on the international stage, change his policy, and support human rights and international law, without an exception for the Palestinian people.

Since Israeli forces launched their assault on Gaza in retaliation for the Hamas-led October 07 attack, the United States government has stood by Israel, sending billions of dollars in weapons and opposing UN resolutions, while claiming to be pushing for a cease-fire.

Addressing the General Assembly earlier this week, Biden called for "security for Israel, and Gaza free of Hamas' grip."

In response to diplomats' Friday walkout, Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft said, "The impunity Biden has offered Israel has been used by Netanyahu to make Israel an international pariah. Neither good for the US nor for Israel."

Parsi also highlighted a clip of Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob's speech to the UN, in which he urged Netanyahu to "stop this war now!"

Netanyahu began his Friday address by taking aim at the world leaders who throughout the week have condemned the recent escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon as well as the past year of Israeli forces bombing and starving Palestinians in Gaza.

"I didn't intend to come here this year. My country is at war fighting for its life," Netanyahu said. "But, after I heard the lies and slanders leveled at my country by many of the speakers standing at this podium, I decided to come here and set the record straight."

Armed with more of his infamous maps of the Middle East, the right-wing leader went on to claim that "Israel seeks peace," while also pledging to wage war on Hamas-governed Gaza until "total victory" and telling "the tyrants of Tehran" that "if you strike us, we will strike you."

Noting that Netanyahu also spoke of "savage enemies who seek to destroy our common civilization," James Zogby, co-founder and president of the Arab American Institute said, "Words spoken by the man who has been charged with genocide and crimes against humanity. This is a disgrace. Abusing the General Assembly platform to lie and incite.

Israel faces a South Africa-led genocide case at the International Court of Justice, and the International Criminal Court prosecutor has sought arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders—one of whom Israel recently assassinated in Iran. Israel also claims to have killed a second Hamas leader, which the group has denied.

Courtesy: Common Dreams

 

United States: A shameful moment in history

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to Washington DC to address Congress. According to Farrah Hassen of Institute of Policy Studies, it was “a shameful moment in US history.” 

“The International Criminal Court is seeking a warrant for Netanyahu’s arrest for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Farrah explains. “But instead of arresting him, Congress gave him multiple standing ovations.”

It was the fourth time Netanyahu was invited to address the body — the most for any world leader. But as thousands of protestors outside raised their voices for a ceasefire in Gaza, something was different this time.

Roughly half of the Democratic caucus boycotted Netanyahu’s speech, refusing to be seen applauding — and complicit with — a perpetrator of genocide. 

"Support for Israel has become a thoroughly partisan issue” thanks to this movement pressure, Phyllis Bennis told Democracy Now! 

“The fact that more than 100 Democratic lawmakers decided to skip the speech is a real statement of how supporting Netanyahu has become a political liability for public figures across the United States."

“Our movement has redefined the demand for a ceasefire,” she added. It now means not only an end to the violence, but also “a massive escalation” of humanitarian aid and an immediate halt to the arms shipments Netanyahu came before Congress to demand more of.

In a powerful op-ed before the speech, Khury Petersen-Smith urged members of the Congressional Black Caucus, historically known as the conscience of Congress, to boycott Netanyahu's address. "Make no mistake,” he warned: “This invitation affirms Israel’s genocide” and is “an affront to international law." 

Pointing out the long history of solidarity between movements for Black and Palestinian freedom, Khury called on the Black Caucus to skip the speech, oppose those weapons transfers, and call for a permanent ceasefire.

Ultimately, many key members of the caucus did skip — and Vice President Kamala Harris, who was a caucus member as a senator, told Netanyahu afterward that she “will not be silent” about Gaza. 

Also this week, Americans celebrated the legacy of another key figure who connected movements for freedom at home to movements against war abroad, the late vice president, cabinet secretary, and New Deal architect Henry A. Wallace.

At the First Annual Henry A. Wallace Symposium, co-presented with the Wallace Global Fund and The Nation and co-sponsored by Busboys and Poets, several inspiring panelists talked about "Countering American Fascism: Lessons from Organizing in the US Heartland." 

It was the capstone event of Henry A. Wallace Fellowship, a paid summer internship program to build the future of the progressive movement. The speakers shared lessons from organizing, movement building, deep canvassing work, and Henry A. Wallace’s own life. 

Together, they highlighted how social movements are countering the dangerous force of American fascism by building an alternative vision: a multi-racial democracy and an economy that works for us all. 

Netanyahu speech: Nothing but heap of lies

The world knew what to expect when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu walked in to address the elected members. Every word of his speech was laced with the same tired lies that have been repeatedly debunked for the last 10 months – and the last 76 years.

It is on record that at least 40,000 Palestinians are confirmed dead and experts estimate the final death toll will be as high as 186,000. Hundreds of thousands more have been gravely injured, including children who have had to get their limbs amputated without anesthesia because Israel is blockading medical supplies and destroying health infrastructure.

Yet Netanyahu claimed that civilian casualties were “practically none.”

Israel has continuously blocked aid from entering Gaza, shutting down access points and slow-walking aid with “security checks.” Israeli protesters have been caught on camera multiple times destroying food trucks. For months experts have warned that Gaza is descending into famine, and shocking photos emerged of emaciated children that looked identical to images of Jewish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps.

Yet Netanyahu claimed that if Gaza isn’t getting enough food “it’s because Hamas is stealing it.”

Israel has sabotaged or walked away from multiple ceasefire negotiations, repeatedly rejecting proposals that Hamas accepted which included every key provision – such as returning all remaining hostages that Israel says they want. They’ve resisted calls for even a temporary ceasefire to allow for the process of peace.

Yet Netanyahu claimed that it is Hamas that doesn’t want a ceasefire.

While in the US Netanyahu refused to tell the truth. He perpetuated the dangerous lie that non-violent protesters “stand with Hamas” and are funded by Iran.

With those protesters outside of Congress his lies would never be loud enough to drown out protestors’ demand for justice for Palestine.

While protestors marched and demanded justice, the vast majority of the members of Congress – from both of the corporate parties – gave this genocidal monster a hero’s welcome.

Vice President Kamala Harris (now the presumptive Democratic nominee) issued a statement condemning the protest and spreading dangerous propaganda that threatens the very fundamentals of protected speech.

She showed her true colors. After days of glowing coverage that Kamala would be “better on Gaza” than the current president, she revealed her allegiance with Israeli propaganda by repeating Netanyahu’s talking points.

The election has radically transformed in the space of a few days, but as Joe Biden once said, nothing has changed fundamentally.

 

United States: Netanyahu to face deep divide

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be greeted by deep divide among US lawmakers, a distracted US public and large protests on Wednesday as he addresses the US Congress for a record fourth time.

The long-time Israeli leader will speak to a joint meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives at 1900 GMT, passing British wartime leader Winston Churchill, who made such addresses three times.

Netanyahu's speech is expected to focus on coordinating the Israeli and US response to the volatile situation in the Middle East, where there is a growing danger of the Gaza war spilling over into a wider regional conflict.

He is also expected to use his speech to call for stronger action against Iran, which supports Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters and has drawn increased US condemnation over its recent nuclear advances.

Though Netanyahu's visit was orchestrated by Congress' Republican leaders, it is likely to be less confrontational than in 2015, when Republicans sidestepped then-President Barack Obama and invited Netanyahu's to Congress to criticize the Democrat's Iran policy.

This time, Netanyahu will seek to bolster his traditional links to Republicans but also look to ease tensions with Biden, whom he will rely on for the remaining six months in the president's term.

He must also reach out to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has at times been more forward-leaning than her boss in criticizing Israel for heavy Palestinian civilian casualties in Gaza.

Activists have promised mass protests, and the Capitol building was surrounded by high fencing and additional police. Dozens of Washington streets were also due to be closed on Wednesday.

Netanyahu's speech comes as Washington is largely preoccupied with the fallout from Biden’s announcement on Sunday that he was ending his re-election bid and endorsing Kamala for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Dozens of Democrats plan to skip the speech, many expressing dismay over Israel's war in the Palestinian enclave and saying they do not want to help Netanyahu offset declining domestic poll numbers. The Palestinian death toll from the offensive has exceeded 39,000, Gaza health officials said.

"For him, this is all about shoring up his support back home, which is one of the reasons I don't want to attend," Senator Chris Van Hollen told reporters. "I don't want to be part of a political prop in this act of deception. He is not the great guardian of the US-Israel relationship."

The Democrats planning to stay away also included Senators Dick Durbin, the chamber's number two Democrat, Tim Kaine, Jeff Merkley and Brian Schatz, all members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, as well as Patty Murray, who chairs Senate Appropriations.

In the House, those staying away included progressives like Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, as well as Ami Bera, a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and Adam Smith, the top Democrat on Armed Services.

Smith said he never attends joint meetings but also described himself on Tuesday as "very, very opposed to what Prime Minister Netanyahu is doing in Israel."

Murray normally would have presided, as the senior Senate Democrat, because Harris will not attend. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who leads the foreign relations committee, will replace her.

Some Republicans criticized Kamala for traveling outside Washington instead of going to the speech. She will meet with Netanyahu separately.

But she was not the only candidate staying away. Republican Senator JD Vance, running for vice president on the ticket with former President Donald Trump, will be away "as he has duties to fulfill as the Republican nominee for Vice President," Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller said in a statement.

Netanyahu was to travel to Florida to meet with Trump later this week. The meeting will be their first since the end of Trump's presidency, during which the two forged close ties.

 

 

 

 

Netanyahu likely to face friend and foes in US

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits the United States this week under pressure to end the Gaza war, from both Israelis and the US administration. How might the political turbulence in Washington shape the trip and future relations?

Netanyahu is set to meet Joe Biden – if the president has recovered from COVID-19 – and address a joint session of Congress, the only foreign leader to do so for a fourth time.

The trip offers him a platform for a reset with Washington after months of tensions over his hardline approach to the war, and an opportunity to try and convince Israelis that he hasn’t undermined relations with their most important ally.

But it is overshadowed by President Biden’s decision not to seek re-election, highlighting political uncertainties about Israel’s next partner in the White House and possibly eclipsing some of the attention on Netanyahu’s visit.

The prime minister got a lot of unwelcome attention in Israel until the moment he boarded the plane.

A drumbeat of protests demanded that he stay home and focus on a ceasefire deal with Hamas to free Israeli hostages.

“Until he has signed the deal that's on the table, I do not see how he picks up and flies across the Atlantic to address the American political chaos,” said Lee Siegel, one of the family members who has come out to demonstrate. His 65-year-old brother Keith is a captive in Gaza.

The trip is a political move, he added, unless Netanyahu stops being a hurdle and signs the ceasefire agreement.

Siegel reflected a widespread view that Netanyahu is slow-rolling the process for his own political reasons, roiling his negotiators when he recently threw new conditions into talks that seemed to be making progress.

The prime minister has been accused of bowing to pressure from two far-right cabinet ministers who’ve threatened to bring down his government if he makes concessions to Hamas.

These perceptions have added to frustrations in the White House, which announced the latest formula for talks and had been expressing optimism an agreement could be achieved.

Biden remains one of the most pro-Israel presidents to sit in the Oval Office, a self-declared Zionist who’s been lauded by Israelis for his support and empathy, cemented by his flight to Israel just days after the Hamas attacks on October 07, 2023.

But since then, he’s grown alarmed at the cost of Netanyahu’s demand for a “total victory” against Hamas in Gaza.

The administration is frustrated with the Israeli prime minister for rejecting a post-war solution that involves pursuing a Palestinian state.

It’s angry with him for resisting appeals to do more to protect Palestinian civilians and increase the flow of aid to them. It’s facing a domestic backlash over the mounting death toll in Gaza. And it’s worried that the conflict is spreading to the region.

As Joe Biden’s presidency weakened in the swirl of controversy over his abilities, analysts said there might be less room for him to keep up the pressure on the Israeli prime minister.

Biden’s decision to drop out of the race could actually have strengthened his hand, says Ehud Barak, a former Israeli prime minister and a critic of Netanyahu.

“He is not a lame duck in regard to foreign policy, in a way he's more independent (because) he doesn't have to take into account any impact on the voters,” Barak told the BBC.

“With regard to Israel probably he feels more of a free hand to do what really needs to be done.”

Barak believes it was a mistake for Congress to invite Netanyahu to speak, saying that many Israelis blame him for policy failures that allowed the Hamas attack to happen, and three out of four want him to resign.

“The man does not represent Israel,” he said. “He lost the trust of Israelis...And it kind of sends a wrong signal to Israelis, probably a wrong signal to Netanyahu himself, when the American Congress invites him to appear as if he is saving us.”

Whatever politics he may be playing, Netanyahu insists military pressure must continue because it has significantly weakened Hamas after a series of strikes against the military leadership.

In comments before departing Israel, he suggested that would be the tone of his meeting with President Biden.

“It will also be an opportunity to discuss with him how to advance in the months ahead the goals that are important for both our countries,” he said, “achieving the release of all our hostages, defeating Hamas, confronting the terror axis of Iran and its proxies and ensuring that all Israel’s citizens return safely to their homes in the north and in the south.”

He’s expected to bring the same message to Congress, “seeking to anchor the bipartisan support that is so important to Israel”.

The reality is that Netanyahu’s policies have fractured that bipartisan support. The Republicans are rallying around him, but criticism from Democrats has grown.

The Democratic Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer caused a small earthquake in Washington recently when he stood up in the chambers and said Netanyahu was one of the obstacles standing in the way of lasting peace with Palestinians.

“I hope the prime minister understands the anxiety of many members in Congress and addresses them,” the former US ambassador to Israel, Thomas Nides, told the BBC at the weekend. He’d been addressing one of the many rallies demanding a hostage release.

That includes “on humanitarian issues and to articulate that this fight isn’t with the Palestinian people, it’s with Hamas."

It’s a message that Kamala Harris would repeat if she were to become the Democratic nominee. There’d be no change in US policy, a commitment to Israel’s security while pushing for an end to the Gaza conflict and a plan for the Day After embedded in a regional peace with Arab states, but there might be a difference in tone.

Kamala Harris does not share Biden’s long history with and emotional ties to Israel. She’s from a different generation and “could more closely align with the sentiments of younger elements of the Democratic party," says Mick Mulroy, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.

"That’s a stance more likely to include restrictions on weapons, on munitions from the United States for use in Gaza," he said.

Netanyahu could very well use the visit to steer the conversation from the controversy over Gaza to the threat from Iran, a topic with which he’s far more comfortable, especially after the recent escalation with Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

But his main audience will be domestic, says Tal Shalev, the diplomatic correspondent at Israel’s Walla News.

He wants to revive his image as “America,” she says, the man who can best present Israel to the US, and to restore his image which was shattered by the October 07 attacks.

“When he goes to the US and speaks in front of Congress and [has] a meeting in the White House, for his electoral base, it's the old Bibi is back again,” she says, referring to the prime minister by his nickname. “This is not the failed Bibi who was responsible for the seventh of October. This is the old Bibi who goes to the Congress and gets the standing ovations.”

It also gives him an opportunity to pursue connections with former President Donald Trump at a time of great political flux in Washington.

“Netanyahu wants President Trump to win,” she says, “And he wants to make sure that he and President Trump are on good terms before the election.”

There is a widespread view that Netanyahu is playing for time, hoping for a Trump win that might ease some of the pressure he’s been facing from the Biden administration.

“There is a near-universal perception that Netanyahu is eager for a Trump victory, under the assumption that he will then be able to do whatever he wants,” writes Michael Koplow of Israel’s Policy Forum.

“No Biden pressuring him on a ceasefire or on West Bank settlements and settler violence... There are many reasons to doubt this reading of the landscape under a Trump restoration, but Netanyahu likely subscribes to it.”

The question is whether that pressure from Biden will ease as he steps away from the presidential race, or whether he will in fact use his remaining months in office to focus on achieving an end to the Gaza war.

Gallant demands investigation against Netanyahu

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday called for a state inquiry into failings around the October 07, 2023 Hamas attack, saying it should investigate Gallant himself and his boss, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Gallant made the comments at a graduation ceremony for new military officers, also attended by Netanyahu, whose coalition government is already strained by infighting.

The state inquiry, he said, "must be objective, it needs to investigate all of us, those who make decisions and those who carry them out, the government, the military, and the security agencies."

"It must investigate me, the defence minister, it must investigate the prime minister," Gallant said, to cheers from the crowd.

Netanyahu has dismissed past calls to form a state inquiry into the October 07 attack, which caught Israel off guard and sparked the war in Gaza, saying that examinations into what happened should be carried out once the war ends.

Only the government can decide to form a state commission of inquiry, which has a broad mandate and its findings carry weight. The chief justice of the Supreme Court chooses its members.

Gallant has broken ranks with Netanyahu before.

Last year, after months of nationwide protests against government plans to curb Supreme Court powers, Gallant said proposed legislation should be dropped, warning the public dispute could hurt national security.

Netanyahu immediately sacked him, spurring tens of thousands of Israelis to take to the streets in support of Gallant. The veteran prime minister eventually relented and Gallant kept his job.

Gallant has since clashed with Netanyahu over Gaza strategy, prompting some members of their Likud party to call for him to be dismissed from his post.

 

 

 

 

 

Netanyahu and Gantz two sides of same coin

The resignation of Benny Gantz from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet has laid bare widening cracks within the Israeli establishment as the regime’s global isolation deepens over its genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.

"Unfortunately, Netanyahu is preventing us from approaching true victory, which is the justification for the painful ongoing crisis," Gantz said in a televised statement on Sunday evening as he announced his resignation. 

Undoubtedly, it is a fallacy that Gantz would have acted any differently than Netanyahu if he had been in Bibi’s shoes following the October 07 Hamas attack. Gantz is playing the blame game when he accuses Netanyahu, known as Bibi, of denying Israel “true victory” because both of them want to see the elimination of Hamas from Gaza.

Gantz is Netanyahu’s chief political rival. Polls suggest if snap elections were held today, he would be the winner. 
Hence, making such critical remarks is not surprising. 

Both Netanyahu and Gantz are criminals who have the blood of a large number of Palestinians on their hands.   

The slaughter of more than 37,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 07, 2023 is just the tip of the iceberg.  

Gantz had already threatened to step down if Netanyahu did not lay out how Israel would achieve its “six strategic goals” in Gaza which include the end of Hamas rule in Gaza.

More than eight months have passed since Israel declared war on Gaza following Hamas’ surprise military operation in southern Israel on October 07. Israel has not only failed to bring Hamas to its knees but the regime has suffered major defeats at the hands of resistance fighters on the battlefield. 

Laying out plans for defeating Hamas is just wishful thinking because the resistance movement has become stronger and support for it has grown in the Palestinian territories over the past months. 

True victory for them means defeating Hamas, but this dream will remain elusive even if Gantz or others succeed Netanyahu. 

Netanyahu and his coalition partners still have 64 of the Israeli parliament’s 120 seats. His cabinet will not collapse following the resignation of Gantz if far-right ministers, namely National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich do not make good on their threats to leave the cabinet. 

Netanyahu could safely stay in office till elections are due in October 2026. But he will become more heavily reliant on far-right ministers who now want a spot in the war cabinet to replace Gantz.  

Gantz’s decision to quit the war cabinet could be a clever ploy because he wants to shirk responsibility for Israel’s failure to achieve its military goals in Gaza. He wants to appear as a savior and woo voters in a future election. 

Netanyahu, criticized his move, saying in a post on X, “Benny, this is not the time to quit the campaign, this is the time to join forces."

Far-right ministers made a blistering attack on Gantz too.

 “There is no act less stately than withdrawing from the government during a war,” Smotrich said.

He accused Gantz of fulfilling the demands of Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, and Iran by his decision to leave the war cabinet. 

Netanyahu regime has vowed to continue the Gaza war in defiance of growing international calls to reach a deal with Hamas.  

The United States and its allies blame Netanyahu for the continuation of the Gaza war. They have depicted Gantz as a centrist politician who can end the onslaught. 

A question arises, is Gantz different from Netanyahu?

Undoubtedly, it is a fallacy that Gantz would have acted any differently than Netanyahu if he had been in Bibi’s shoes following the October 07 Hamas attack.

Gantz is a former chief of staff of the Israeli military and also a former war minister. 

He was the army chief when the regime launched war on Gaza in 2012. The Israeli rights group B’Tselem said the Israeli army under Gantz’s leadership killed nearly 170 Palestinians during the war. 

In another war against Gaza in 2014, more than 2,000 Palestinians including over 500 children were butchered by Israeli forces while Gantz was still the army chief. 

The Israeli army also killed hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza in May 2021 and August 2023 when Gantz was the regime’s war minister. 

In his 2019 campaign for the Israeli Keneseth, Gantz put out a video of destruction in Gaza in the 2014 war. In that video, he bragged about sending parts of Gaza “back to the Stone Age”. 

This is in addition to the killings of Palestinians in the West Bank at the hands of Israeli forces during the era that Gantz held top military posts. 

The comments made by Gantz and the Israeli military’s brutalities when he was the chief of staff and war minister clearly show how he thinks about Palestinians. 

Now it seems Netanyahu is playing the role of the bad cop and Gantz is the role of the good cop.

But, in essence, they are members of the bogus apartheid regime. 

As long as the US and its Western allies continue to support Israel, the regime will not end acts of genocide in the Palestinian territories. The regime seeks to make the Palestinian territories uninhabitable for Palestinians and force them to leave their homes, which amounts to ethnic cleansing. 

 Courtesy: Tehran Times

Israel: Gantz quits Netanyahu government

According to Reuters, Israeli minister Benny Gantz announced his resignation from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's emergency government on Sunday, withdrawing the only centrist power in the embattled leader's far-right coalition amid a months-long war in Gaza.

The departure of Gantz's centrist party will not pose an immediate threat to the government. But it could have a serious impact nonetheless, leaving Netanyahu reliant on hardliners, with no end in sight to the Gaza war and a possible escalation in fighting with Lebanese Hezbollah.

Last month, Gantz presented Netanyahu with a June 8 deadline to come up with a clear day-after strategy for Gaza, where Israel has been pressing a devastating military offensive against the ruling Palestinian militant group Hamas. Netanyahu brushed off the ultimatum soon after it was given.

On Sunday, Gantz said politics was clouding fateful strategic decisions in Netanyahu's cabinet. Quitting while hostages were still in Gaza and soldiers fighting there was an excruciating decision, he said.

"Netanyahu is preventing us from advancing toward true victory," Gantz said in a televised news conference. "That is why we are leaving the emergency government today, with a heavy heart but with full confidence."

Netanyahu responded in a social media post, telling Gantz it was no time to abandon the battlefront.

With Gantz gone, Netanyahu would lose the backing of a centrist bloc that has helped broaden support for the government in Israel and abroad, at a time of increasing diplomatic and domestic pressure eight months into the Gaza war.

While his coalition remains in control of 64 of parliament's 120 seats, Netanyahu will now have to rely more heavily on the political backing of ultra-nationalist parties, whose leaders angered Washington even before the war and who have since called for a complete Israeli occupation of Gaza.

This would likely increase strains already apparent in relations with the United States and intensify public pressure at home, with the months-long military campaign still not achieving its stated goals - the destruction of Hamas and the return of more than 100 remaining hostages held in Gaza.

Polls have shown Gantz, a former army commander and defence minister, to be the most formidable political rival to Netanyahu, whose image as a security hawk was shattered by the October 07, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel.

Warning that the conflict in Gaza could take years, he urged Netanyahu to agree on an election date in the autumn, to avoid further political infighting at a time of national emergency.

Gantz joined a unity government soon after October 07 as part of Netanyahu's inner war cabinet where he, Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant alone had votes.

On Sunday, Gantz described Gallant, who has sparred with Netanyahu and some ultra-nationalists ministers, as a brave leader and called on him 'to do the right thing,' though he did not elaborate on what that meant.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded Gantz's now vacant seat at the war cabinet soon after the resignation was announced.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said in a statement Gantz was giving Israel's enemies what they want.

Asked whether he was worried about his departure impacting Israel's standing abroad, Gantz said Gallant and Netanyahu both know "what should be done."

"Hopefully they will stick to what should be done and then it will be okay," he said.

 

US invites war criminal to address congress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has officially been invited to deliver an address to Congress, reports The Hill.

Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday sent Netanyahu a formal invitation to speak during a joint meeting of Congress, and the invitation featured the signatures of all four Congressional leaders: Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

“We join the State of Israel in your struggle against terror, especially as Hamas continues to hold American and Israeli citizens captive and its leaders jeopardize regional stability,” the letter reads.

“For this reason, on behalf of the bipartisan leadership of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, we would like to invite you to address a Joint Meeting of Congress.”

The address is expected to take place as soon as the next eight weeks or soon after August recess. It would be Netanyahu’s fourth address to a joint meeting of Congress, following speeches in 2015, 2011 and 1996.

The invitation left Washington after weeks of delay from Schumer who, during a high-profile floor speech in March, declared Netanyahu had lost his way and called for new elections in Israel, drawing the ire of the longtime Israeli leader, Republicans and some Democrats.

Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the US history, and his office on a number of occasions said the Senate leader was supportive of having Netanyahu address Congress, despite his sharp criticism of the Israeli leader, but the New York Democrat did not sign the letter until recently.

Netanyahu’s visit to the Capitol — if it comes to fruition — is certain to spark intense anger among liberals in both chambers who have denounced the conservative leader’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, especially as the number of humanitarian deaths in the Gaza strip continues to rise.

Those feelings deepened last week after a prosecutor with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which the US is not a party to, filed arrest warrants for Netanyahu and other Israeli and Hamas leaders, alleging that they bear criminal responsibility for a list of war crimes.

Some progressives in the House told The Hill last week that they would likely skip the speech if it materialized, taking aim at the Israeli leader’s conduct during the war.

“I think there’ll be a lot of people who wouldn’t go, just given the fact that he is pushing this war into a place that no one wants it to go into just to save his own butt, which makes Israel less safe and the region less safe,” said Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who added that he would “probably” boycott the event.

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a Jewish Democrat who called Netanyahu a “menace,” said she “boycotted his last visit. I certainly will not attend this one.”

“It’s not going to help move us forward — it’s a detriment,” she added. “Should he come for any reason, in any venue, I am not going to be there.”

During Netanyahu’s 2015 visit to the Capitol, the Israeli leader used his speech to attack then-President Obama over the Iran nuclear deal, an extraordinary display that was denounced by Obama’s Democratic allies.

The formal invite for Netanyahu to address Congress marks the culmination of a weeks-long discussion over whether the Israeli leader would be given the opportunity to speak to lawmakers in the Capitol.

The idea first cropped up in March, when Johnson said he planned to invite the Israeli leader to deliver an address following Schumer’s controversial comments calling for new elections in the Middle East country.

Johnson said he sent Schumer a draft letter inviting Netanyahu to the Capitol in mid-March. Invitations for foreign leaders to address Congress are typically extended on behalf of congressional leaders. There are not, however, formal procedures for inviting foreign leaders to address Congress, according to the Congressional Research Service.

In late-April, the Speaker said Schumer had not yet signed the letter, telling The Hill “it’s been sitting on Chuck Schumer’s desk.”

Responding to Johnson’s remarks, Schumer’s office told The Hill that the Democratic leader “intends to join the invitation, the timing is being worked out.”

Johnson upped the pressure on Schumer to sign the letter last week, when he said the House would move ahead with an invitation on its own if the Democratic leader did not join his letter soon.

Schumer again reiterated that he would support having Netanyahu visit the Capitol, telling reporters “I’m discussing that now with the Speaker of the House, and as I’ve always said, our relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends any one prime minister or president.”

 

US threatens ICC over Israeli arrest warrants

In another sign United States allowing Israel to violate international law, Washington stands accused of threatening a UN court from issuing arrest warrants against the Israeli leaders.

Senior Republican officials say President Biden’s administration backs their stance toward the International Criminal Court (ICC) if the body goes ahead with its plan to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Speaking to reporters, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says there is support among Democrats in the White House for the ICC to withdraw its position amid reports the UN Court is set to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu as well as other high-ranking officials including War Minister Yoav Gallant and military chief of staff Herzi Halevi for war crimes. 

In a direct threat to the ICC, Johnson underlined that “they’d better not do that … I think that it would make us as a nation respond in kind to the ICC”. 
“I think a group of senators and House members who would move expeditiously and we might just turn the table on the ICC. They better be careful,” the Republican leader warned. 
According to Johnson, who spoke to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, the Biden administration totally agrees.  

Blinken “confirmed that the position of the White House is our position … they are calling for the ICC to stand down,” Johnson told reporters. 

According to Axios, Congress has informed the ICC that any arrest warrants against Israeli leaders will be met with US retaliation with legislation to that effect already in the works. 

In a statement, the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, echoed those warnings from his party leadership.

The Israeli occupation regime does not recognize the authority of the ICC, but issuing warrants would mean that the 124 countries that have signed up to the body, including some of Tel Aviv’s closest Western allies, would be obliged to arrest Israeli officials if they enter their territory.

Many have called out the US hypocrisy in its response to war crimes investigations against the Israelis, whose war on Gaza has so far led to the murder of around 35,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza is another Israeli war crime that reports indicate the ICC is pursuing the arrest warrants for. 

Last year, Biden welcomed an ICC decision to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying it was justified over what the US president said was Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russia says the warrant against Putin is a meaningless campaign by the West to damage Russia’s reputation and denies war crimes during its military actions against the US and NATO-backed Ukrainian army. 

“This is evidence of the stratification of consciousness,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a post on social media in which she hinted that Israel is a satellite of the United States. 

“On the one hand, the ICC judges are under US sanctions; on the other hand, Washington fully supported, if not stimulated, the issuance of ICC warrants against the Russian leadership; on the third, the American political system does not recognize the legitimacy of this structure in relation to itself and its satellites.” Zakharova pointed out. 

The Russian diplomat was responding to White House Press Secretary Karin Jean-Pierre who stated, “The US authorities believe that the investigation of the International Criminal Court into Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, as well as the issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli high-ranking officials in this regard, goes beyond the jurisdiction of the court.”

ICC arrest warrants would be one of the most severe diplomatic setbacks for the Israeli occupation regime and its political and military leadership since the start of the war on Gaza.

Tel Aviv is already facing a genocide case, brought by South Africa, at the International Court of Justice as well as widespread accusations of indiscriminately carpet-bombing civilian infrastructure in Gaza and causing famine by preventing aid supplies from entering the enclave. 

Experts have highlighted that they do not believe the prospect of any ICC action would derail negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying such reports emerging in the US are part of wider tactics being deployed by Washington and Tel Aviv to delay the warrants being issued. 

Israeli media say Netanyahu is worried about the ICC issuing an arrest warrant against him, as reports indicate the US is lobbying its Western allies to pile pressure on the top UN Court. 

 

Netanyahu faces imminent arrest

Reportedly, the Israeli National Security Council held secret discussions on the possibility of issuing international arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Army Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi.

Israel’s Channel 13 reported that the discussions took place in anticipation of the possibility of international arrest warrants being issued in the coming days against senior officials in Israel.

“According to the information and indications available to senior officials in Israel, there is a possibility that the International Criminal Court in The Hague will issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and Halevi,” the channel added.

It said that as part of the discussions, several immediate measures were approved for Israel to take in response to this potential move, including launching a political campaign at the international level against it.

The channel revealed that Netanyahu would hold talks later Wednesday with his counterparts from the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Austria as part of efforts to hinder the potential step.

Meanwhile, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Israel’s ambassador to the US, Michael Herzog, would contact the US Congress and President Joe Biden’s administration.

The channel cited unnamed senior Israeli officials as saying that if this step were taken, it brings to mind the measures taken against Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, in light of the war it has been waging against Ukraine since February 2022.

The officials added that the International Criminal Court is expected to focus on policy makers rather than low-ranking soldiers in the arrest warrants.

In this context, Israel’s political-security Cabinet was scheduled to hold a meeting Thursday which was expected to address the issue of potential arrest warrants, according to the private broadcaster.

Last Friday, Israel’s private Channel 12 reported that the International Criminal Court is considering issuing international arrest warrants in the near future against Netanyahu and other senior officials for committing war crimes against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

At the time, the channel said that Netanyahu urgently met with Strategic Affairs Minister Dermer, Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz to discuss the matter and appeal to Western allies for assistance.

More than 34,200 Palestinians have been killed and 77,200 others injured amid a tight siege imposed by Israel, which left the entire population, especially residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel Faces Irremediable Defeat

Historically, wars unite Israelis, not anymore. Not only that Israelis do not agree with Benjamin Netanyahu’s war; they simply do not believe that the prime minister is the man who could win this supposedly existential fight. 

An end to the Gaza war, even if branded as a ‘victory’ by Netanyahu, will only further the polarization and deepen Israel’s worst internal political struggle since its founding on the ruins of historic Palestine. A continuation of the war will add to the schisms, as it will only serve as a reminder of an irremediable defeat.

Netanyahu’s war remains unwinnable simply because liberation wars, often conducted through guerrilla warfare tactics, are far more complicated than traditional combat.

Nearly six months after the Israeli attack on Gaza, it has become clear that Palestinian Resistance groups are durable and well-prepared for a much longer fight. 

Netanyahu, supported by far-right ministers and an equally hardline Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, insists that more firepower is the answer. Though the unprecedented amount of explosives, used by Israel in Gaza, killed and wounded over 100,000 Palestinians, an Israeli victory remains elusive. 

What do Israelis want and, more precisely, what is their prime minister’s end-game in Gaza, anyway? 

Major opinion polls since October 07 continued to produce similar results: the Israeli public prefers Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, over the prime minister and his Likud party. 

A recent poll conducted by the Israeli newspaper Maariv also indicated that one of Netanyahu’s closest and most important coalition partners, Finance Minister and leader of the Religious Zionist Party, Bezalel Smotrich, is virtually irrelevant in terms of public support. If elections were to be held today, the far-right minister’s party would not even pass the electoral threshold. 

Most Israelis are calling for new elections this year. If they are to receive their wish today, the pro-Netanyahu coalition would only be able to muster 46 seats, compared to its rivals with 64. 

And, if the Israeli coalition government – currently controlling 72 seats out of 120 Knesset seats – is to collapse, the rightwing dominance over Israeli politics will shatter, likely for a long time. 

All of Netanyahu’s political shenanigans, which served him well in the past, would fall short from allowing him to return to power, keeping in mind he is already 74 years of age. 

A greatly polarized society, Israelis learned to blame an individual or a political party for all of their woes. This is partly why election outcomes can sharply differ between one election cycle to another. Between April 2019 and November 2022, Israel held five general elections, and now they are demanding yet another one. 

The November 2022 elections were meant to be decisive, as they ended years of uncertainty, and settled on the “most right-wing government in the history of Israel” – an oft-repeated description of Israel’s modern government coalitions. 

To ensure Israel does not delve back into indecision, Netanyahu’s government wanted to secure its gains for good. Smotrich, along with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, wanted to fashion a new Israeli society that is forever tilted towards their brand of religious and ultranationalist Zionism. 

Netanyahu, on the other hand, simply wanted to hold on to power, partly because he became too accustomed to the perks of his office, and also because he is desperately hoping to avoid jail time due to his several corruption trials. 

To achieve this, the right and far-right parties have diligently worked to change the rules of the game, by curtailing the power of the judiciary and ending the oversight of the Supreme Court. They failed at some tasks, and succeeded at others, including an amendment to the country’s Basic Laws to curtail the power of Israel’s highest court, thus its right to overturn the government’s policies. 

Though Israelis protested en masse, it was clear that the initial energy of these protests, starting in January 2023, was petering out, and that a government with such a substantial majority – at least, per Israel’s standards – will not easily relent. 

The Palestinian Al-Aqsa Flood Operation is often examined in terms of its military and intelligence components, if not usefulness, but rarely in terms of its strategic outcomes. It placed Israel at a historic dilemma that even Netanyahu’s comfortable Knesset majority cannot – and most likely will not – be able to resolve.

 Complicating matters, on January 01, 2024 the Supreme Court officially annulled the decision by Netanyahu’s coalition to strike down the power of the judiciary. 

The news though significant, was overshadowed by many other crises plaguing the country, mostly blamed on Netanyahu and his coalition partners: the military and intelligence failure leading to October 07, the grinding war, the shrinking economy, the risk of a regional conflict, the rift between Israel and Washington, the growing global anti-Israel sentiment, and more. 

The problems continue to pile up, and Netanyahu, the master politician of former times, is now only hanging by the thread of keeping the war going for as long as possible to defer his mounting crises for as long as possible. 

Yet, an indefinite war is not an option, either. The Israeli economy, according to recent data by the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics, has shrunk by over 20% in the fourth quarter of 2023. It is likely to continue its free fall in the coming period. 

Moreover, the army is struggling, fighting an unwinnable war without realistic goals. The only major source for new recruits can be obtained from ultra-Orthodox Jews, who have been spared the battlefield to study in yeshivas, instead. 

70 percent of all Israelis, including many in Netanyahu’s own party, want the Haredi to join the army. On March 28, the Supreme Court ordered a suspension of state subsidies allocated to these ultra-Orthodox communities. 

If that is to happen, the crisis will deepen on multiple fronts. If the Haredi lose their privileges, Netanyahu’s government is likely to collapse; if they maintain them, the other government, the post October 07 war council, is likely to collapse as well. 

Courtesy: Information Clearing House

Bowman demands removal of Netanyahu from office

Congressman Jamaal Bowman had choice words for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Saturday comments, calling him a maniac who needs to be removed from office. 

The progressive Democrat initially discussed the Biden administration transferring 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs, 500 MK82 500-pound bombs and 25 F-35A fighter jets to Israel without notifying lawmakers, an arms package reported exclusively by the Washington Post on Friday. 

Bowman said that Congress should have absolutely been notified. 

He then criticized Israel’s handling of the war and the number of civilian casualties in Gaza, and slammed Israel’s leader for being a barrier to getting peace in the Israel-Hamas war.

“The majority of Gaza has already been destroyed through acts of collective punishment by this maniac, Benjamin Netanyahu,” Bowman told MSNBC’s Alex Witt on Saturday. 

“I’m 100% with Senator Schumer. He needs to be removed. He is a blockade to a pathway to peace. And we need a ceasefire right now. That’s what we should be focused on humanitarian aid, not weapons.” 

Bowman, during his response, referenced Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s remarks from two weeks ago when he called for new elections in Israel and criticized Netanyahu over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. 

The progressive Democrat renewed calls for a ceasefire, increased delivery of aid and said the ongoing situation in Gaza is a humanitarian crisis. 

“We have hundreds of thousands of children starving to death in Gaza right now, as we speak, the majority of the American people support a permanent ceasefire,” Bowman said.

“The majority of my district supports a permanent ceasefire. We need a permanent ceasefire. We need to bring in hundreds of trucks that are five miles away from Gaza right now of aid, to save as many lives as possible. There’s a humanitarian crisis.” 

Netanyahu to defy allies on Rafah invasion

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his determination to launch an offensive in Rafah, defying international criticism. The city is crammed with some 1.5 million Palestinians from other parts of Gaza seeking refuge.

His comments come as the German chancellor, on a Middle East trip, restated his opposition to the plan.

Netanyahu said "no international pressure will stop Israel" from achieving all of its war aims.

"If we stop the war now before achieving all of its goals, the meaning is that Israel had lost the war and we will not allow this," Netanyahu told a meeting of his Cabinet.

He said Israel must be able to continue its war, with the aims of eliminating Hamas, releasing all hostages and ensuring Gaza "no longer pose a threat". "To do this, we will also operate in Rafah."

Netanyahu said the offensive in city at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip "will happen" and will take "several weeks". He also lashed out at his critics; saying to them is your memory so short?

"So quickly you forgot about October 07, the worst massacre committed against Jews since the Holocaust." Those attacks, in which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage from Israel, sparked the current war.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 31,400 have been killed.

Israel's plans have been heavily criticized by the international community, with the UN and US also warning that a full-scale assault in Rafah could be disastrous.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the UN's World Health Organization, on Friday appealed to Israel "in the name of humanity" not to launch such an attack on Gaza's southern-most city.

US President Biden has warned Israel against expanding its invasion in the city, calling it a "red line".

Nevertheless, Netanyahu's office approved plans for a military operation in Rafah on Friday, adding that the army was preparing for the evacuation of civilians.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it planned to move displaced Palestinians in Gaza to what it called "humanitarian islands" in the middle of the strip. It is not clear what the "islands" will look like, or how they will operate.

Ceasefire talks were expected to resume in Qatar in the coming days. Israel had planned to send a delegation to join the negotiations, but ministers were yet to agree on its mandate.

Netanyahu hurting Israel more than helping it

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is undermining the values on which Israel was founded and is harming the country with his handling of the Gaza war, US President Joe Biden charged during an interview he gave to MSNBC on Saturday.

“He has a right to defend Israel, a right to continue to pursue Hamas, but he must, he must, he must pay more attention to the innocent lives being lost as a consequence of the actions taken.”

“He is hurting Israel more than helping Israel by making the rest of the world … it is contrary to what Israel stands for, and I think it’s a big mistake,” Biden said.

He spoke amid growing tensions between Israel and the United States over Israel’s conduct of its military campaign to destroy Hamas in Gaza, an operation which it supports in principle, but has otherwise opposed elements of its operation.

The United States has been concerned in particular by the high fatality count, with Hamas asserting that over 31,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war.

Israel has stated that over 11,000 of the fatalities have been combatants.

The US has also argued that Israel has not done enough to contain the humanitarian disaster that accompanied its military campaign, during which it has taken out roads, infrastructure, and the governance system, making it difficult to distribute and in some cases impossible to distribute aid.

Biden was careful to stress to MSNBC that irrespective of his thoughts on Netanyahu, he supported Israel, particularly concerning defensive weapons.

"I am never going to leave Israel,” Biden emphasized.

“The defense of Israel is still critical, so there is no red line where I am going to cut off all weapons so they do not have the Iron Dome to protect them,” Biden said.

Within that framework there are still red lines Israel should not cross, such as a military operation in Rafah, Biden said. He has stressed in the past that the US would only support such an operation if Israel presented a plan to protect the over 1.3 million Palestinians located in the area of that southern city, many of whom fled there to escape Israeli aerial bombings in the northern part of the enclave.