Haaretz: Netanyahu insists on perpetuating the authority of “Hamas”...!

Written by: Uri Bar-Yosef

At the time these lines are being written, it is not yet clear whether the agreement being talked about between Israel and Hamas will be truly signed in the coming days, or whether we will have to wait a long time until the kidnapped people return. But from the details published about the plan, it appears that Israel is ready to agree to very difficult conditions in order to return some of the kidnapped people and now.

According to this meaning, the agreement must be blessed if it is signed, but about one matter we must cry out bitterly: Why, even after October 7, does Benjamin Netanyahu do everything in his power to perpetuate Hamas’ rule in Gaza?

Since the beginning of the war, it has been clear to everyone who aspires to eliminate Hamas's rule that the only way to do so is to find an alternative to it. The alternative is clear for the United States, the European Union, the Saudi Crown Prince, the Egyptian President, and the security establishment in Israel as well. This alternative appears in the recommendations of the Institute for National Security Research, whose position represents the main stream of thinking in the Israeli army and intelligence services. At its basis, in the first phase, is a two-headed policy: pushing the Palestinian Authority forward to a situation in which it can assume responsibility for governing Gaza, and helping to form an international force, Arab and Western, that can replace the Israeli army and provide a security envelope that will enable the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip to begin. 

Netanyahu's policy during the war completely ignored this plan. It is true that any attempt to advance it could have undermined the stability of the coalition, but it is forbidden to attribute its interest in maintaining Hamas rule solely to its political needs. Because what we are talking about is the strategy he has followed since he took power for the first time in 1996.

As Adam Raz describes in detail in his new book, “The Road to October 7,” patronizing Hamas has always been, for Netanyahu, the best way to prevent negotiations with the Palestinian Authority about a two-state solution, a solution that is hated by him and the right in Israel. As of October 7, Netanyahu's clear supporters were applauding this brilliant strategy. Here are some examples.

Ariel Siegel believes that there is a clear “strategic logic” in favoring Hamas; Yonatan Urich, Netanyahu's advisor, considered sponsoring Hamas and supplying it with Qatari funds as a process that would lead to destroying the dream of a Palestinian state; Erez Tadmur, a right-wing thinker, considered this process a model one.

But how would this be possible without Galit Distel Atebrian, who wrote on her Facebook page in May 2019: “This must be said honestly: Netanyahu wants Hamas to stand on its feet. "For this, he is prepared to pay an unreasonable price." She also had a correct description of the situation: “The trash cat (Hamas) is grabbing a nuclear tiger (Israel) by the testicles.” It can be noted that she did not criticize the leader's genius strategy. Since the signing of the peace agreement with Egypt, the right-wing in Israel's contribution to the state's national security is essentially lack of security. A major contribution to this is the massive construction of settlements in densely populated areas in the West Bank, which prevents any progress towards a political solution and takes the best resources of the Israeli army to defend them. We also saw this on October 7. But Netanyahu's personal contribution outweighs everything. With great humility, he spoke in an interview with CNN in 2019 about his legacy. He said: “I want them to remember me as the protector of Israel. That is enough for me.”

The legacy of destruction that Netanyahu will leave behind will be taught in the luxury schools of the world in the “March of Folly” cycle, because besides the sponsorship of Hamas, the main factor in the Arab world demanding the annihilation of Israel, even great actions such as bringing the horse into Troy or Napoleon’s invasion of Russia become dull. Netanyahu's policy regarding the issue of the Iranian nuclear project, the policy that gives him the status of "father of the Iranian nuclear bomb," will put him in the Jean's Book of Records.

We need special skills in order to enthusiastically stand at the head of the international campaign against the nuclear bomb, spoil the relationship with the Democratic administration in the United States, prevent an agreement that would distance Iran from the nuclear project, persuade President Donald Trump to withdraw from the agreement, and do nothing. Something when Iran will become a country on the verge of nuclear weapons. Only Netanyahu, “Mr. Security,” can do this.

It is difficult to know whether Netanyahu's government will weather the storm of the imminent agreement. Maybe not. If it falls, it is expected that we will stand in a round of elections on only three topics: security, security, security. It is not clear how Netanyahu will engineer public opinion if he decides to compete again for the position of prime minister. But there is also an opposition that is not committed to sponsoring Hamas rule. First, we must hope that they view positively the start of negotiations with the Palestinian Authority as part of a comprehensive plan to establish a regional alliance headed by the United States against Iran and the axis of resistance it has established.

In these elections, it is forbidden to allow Benny Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Lapid, Avigdor Lieberman, Yossi Cohen, and Naftali Bennett (if they compete) to evade one main question, which is: How do you see the future of relations with the Palestinians? We don't have to ask Yair Golan, because his answer is clear. Netanyahu, too, should not be asked, because his answer is clear.

From "Haaretz"