As the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip continues, Israel's political maneuverings intensify, testing the survival skills of the "cunning" but increasingly beleaguered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In an opinion article written by journalist David Ignatius published by the American “Washington Post”, he reported that Netanyahu dropped a political bomb on the Biden administration this month, claiming that the United States was delaying major arms shipments to Israel, but the bomb was defused this week by Defense Minister Yoav Galant, who visited Washington for talks, which Israeli and American officials confirmed had resolved the problem.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has come under harsh criticism in opinion pieces written by two former prime ministers, Ehud Barak and Ehud Olmert. Barak and other prominent Israelis have said that Netanyahu's invitation to speak before Congress next month should be rescinded because he does not represent the majority of Israelis, and Olmert indicated that he agrees. With this opinion, according to what the writer stated.

Olmert strongly criticized Netanyahu and accused him of "arrogance" for failing to anticipate the Hamas attack on October 7. He said frankly: "There is nothing we can gain at this stage that is worth the cost of continuing the war."

Netanyahu's ruling coalition was also subjected to internal shocks from two directions this week, as Israel's Supreme Court ruled that religious Jews should not be exempt from military service, a position supported by some members of his government and opposed by others.

The article's author, David Ignatius, explains that Gallant continued to press ahead with his post-war transition plans in Gaza, which were unofficially described as "the day after" and which Netanyahu does not support.

In this context, he stressed that resolving the dispute over American arms shipments to Israel was extremely important, especially since Gallant overcame the political rift caused by his prime minister.

Netanyahu had claimed in a June 18 video that the United States was deliberately slowing deliveries of key arms shipments in addition to the announced delay of 2,000-pound bombs that President Biden fears could harm Palestinian civilians.

Gallant and US officials confirmed this week that large arms shipments of ammunition had been delivered to tank engines and F-35 fighter jets.

After these discussions, according to the same source, a senior administration official spoke with reporters and thanked Gallant “for his professional approach in dealing with all issues of the security partnership between Israel and the United States.”

The official confirmed "the transfer of ammunition and military systems to Israel, along with 2,000-pound bombs."

24 administrative regions.. The post-war plan in Gaza

The American writer points out that the less obvious but perhaps more important topic that Gallant discussed during his visit is a detailed plan for the post-war period in Gaza.

The writer states in his article that this plan will be implemented even if Hamas continues to reject the ceasefire and the proposal to release the hostages, which the American administration has sought for months to achieve.

In the course of his speech, he explains that the transition process in Gaza that Gallant discussed in Washington will be supervised by a steering committee headed by the United States and Arab partners, which he described as “moderates.”

He stated that an international force, likely to include forces from Egypt, Jordan, the Emirates, and Morocco, will supervise security, while American forces will provide command, control, and logistical services from outside Gaza, perhaps in Egypt, and gradually a Palestinian force will assume responsibility for local security.

Gallant and American officials agree on the necessity of training this Palestinian security force within the framework of the current security assistance program for the Palestinian Authority headed by Lieutenant General Michael Wenzel, who is stationed in Jerusalem as security coordinator for Israel and the Authority.

The transitional plan will be implemented in Gaza in stages, starting in northern Gaza and expanding southward as much as the situation allows.

Gallant believes that implementing the plan requires dividing the Gaza Strip into 24 administrative regions.

According to the American journalist, American officials told him that they support the Gallant Plan, but that moderate Arab governments will not support it unless the Palestinian Authority participates directly, giving it what the Arab countries may see as legitimacy.

American officials also warned that moderate Arabs want to implement the Saudi proposal of a political horizon towards an eventual Palestinian state, which Gallant says he and most Israelis will not support.

Hamas power

These plans assume that Hamas has deteriorated enough as a military force that it is unable to launch large-scale attacks, which Israeli military leaders believe they have largely accomplished, but a US official confirmed that a “Hamas-like” force now provides some security for the distribution of humanitarian aid. In northern Gaza.

The official stated that this force is described as a "de facto authority" by humanitarian relief groups.

The war between Israel and Lebanon

In this file, the Israeli Defense Minister discussed the Biden administration’s efforts to avoid war between Israel and Lebanon, as the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, and the American Special Envoy to Lebanon, Amos Hochstein, reached a truce agreement for Lebanon, which officials say can be implemented once there is a ceasefire in Gaza.

The Lebanese agreement calls for Hezbollah's "Radwan Force" to withdraw north to a line roughly parallel to the Litani River and for Israel to agree to border adjustments that Hezbollah has demanded for years.

The Lebanese agreement calls for Hezbollah's "Radwan Force" to withdraw north to a line roughly parallel to the Litani River and for Israel to agree to border adjustments that Hezbollah has demanded for years.

According to David Ignatius, an American official confirmed, “All the pieces are in place to end the war in Gaza and avoid another war in Lebanon. The two wild cards are the leaders of Israel and Hamas, Netanyahu and Yahya Sinwar. The Hamas leader may prefer death rather than making concessions.”

The writer concluded his article by saying, “Netanyahu sees increasing political pressure to move toward the endgame in Gaza and that his attempt to blame Biden for the significant delay in arms deliveries failed this week as his political opponents gather... Netanyahu has always been an agile and shape-shifting politician, but "His options for political survival are dwindling."