Demands are expanding in Israel for the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the leaders of the army and intelligence, at a time when the ground invasion of the Gaza Strip is being postponed, amid official statements that the war will last for months, and the families of Israeli prisoners go out in a demonstration, warning against forgetting their cause.

The leaders of the protest against the government’s judicial plan express their concern that one of the reasons for prolonging the war is to maintain the leadership responsible for the failures to take advantage of the time for personal or partisan purposes and interests.

It was noted that demands for this resignation also began to rise among the ranks of the right, among Netanyahu’s allies, especially among the settlement forces and the extreme right.

The news website for Haredi Jews around the world, “Bahdrei Hadrim,” published an editorial saying that senior experts on the right and left in Israel believe that Netanyahu is retreating from his strict political rhetoric, twisting his tail, and searching for arguments to justify not carrying out a ground invasion. The website adds in an editorial that the goal set by the government and army leadership to annihilate Hamas cannot be achieved from the air. This position is not an emotional one stemming from a desire for revenge, “but rather it is a strategic interest in restoring the Israeli deterrent power that was destroyed by a few thug criminals from Hamas.” Even if it was carried out at the expense of thousands of poor Palestinian victims, it is directed at the powerful and great enemy (Hamas), and Hezbollah and Iran behind it.”

On the website of extremist settlers in the West Bank, “Channel 7,” writer After Shaki published an article demanding the resignation or dismissal of Netanyahu. He said that he loves the man and appreciates his great abilities, “but his history was full of serving the ideas of the left and disavowing the ideas of the public that loves him and elects him.” This was the case when he signed the Hebron and Wye River Agreements and when he gave the Bar-Ilan speech on the two-state solution. But today he is wasting a historic opportunity to liquidate Hamas and evading it. “In this, it deals a serious strategic blow to Israel.”

Even lawyer Nadav Hatzni, one of the settler leaders in the Hebron area, who writes a weekly article in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, attacked Netanyahu at the “killing point.” He is an old friend of his and knows that he is obsessed with likening himself to the historical British leader Winston Churchill. He wrote an article in which he attacked Netanyahu’s “cowardly” policy.

He said that this is the time for Israel to show its seriousness in fighting Hamas, even if a large number of casualties occur in Israel, as the war cannot be without cost.

He added, "Netanyahu bears no resemblance to Churchill. In fact, he resembles the British Prime Minister who preceded Churchill, Arthur Noel Chamberlain." This Chamberlain has become in history an example of an acquiescent, hesitant, and cowardly politician, who submitted to Hitler in 1938 and signed the Munich Agreement with him, granting Germany a region of Czechoslovakia.

Protest leaders return

On the other hand, the demand for resignation is also raised by the protest leaders, who organized the huge demonstrations against the government because of its plan to overthrow the ruling system and weaken the judiciary. Among the most prominent of them is the writer Uri Misgav, who published (Thursday) an article in the Maariv newspaper, in which he mocked the Likud leaders who say: “The one who failed is the one who must reform. We are prohibited from changing the leader.”

He said: “This is almost like saying after the Titanic disaster that if the captain had survived, we should have given him another ship.” He added: “The State of Israel cannot allow itself to continue with this failed and irresponsible leadership, a leadership that is negligent and allows for months and years to launch missiles at our towns, our citizens, and our children. Many citizens from all segments of the population want another leadership, a leadership that does not change its approach according to the needs of remaining in the seat. Netanyahu has no interest in the victims and their families. The Israelis and their army will not be able to defeat jihadist terrorism as long as this person is the prime minister. He must go now.'

The families of the Israeli prisoners went out in a demonstration in Tel Aviv, during which they expressed their concern that their cause would be forgotten in this war and demanded that they leave everything and enter into negotiations to release their sons and daughters.

In the face of this wave, retired General Yitzhak Brik issued an explicit call demanding that the first military leadership resign, and he meant both the Chief of Staff of the Army, Herzi Halevy, and the heads of the Southern Brigade of the Army and Intelligence.

This call is an attempt by Netanyahu, who has met with Brik three times since the outbreak of the war, to strike a balance between his responsibility for the failure and the responsibility of the army and intelligence. Although Netanyahu stresses in his popular appearance that he is working collectively in leading the war, with Defense Minister Yoav Galant and the minister who came from the opposition, Benny Gantz, and is working in full coordination with the Chief of Staff, his men are attacking these partners relentlessly.

Netanyahu had delivered a speech (Wednesday evening) to send a message to those who accuse him of cowardice. He said, “The return of Israeli prisoners and hostages in the Gaza Strip constitutes one of the first goals of the war.” He confirmed that the army intends to invade Gaza by land, at a time, size, and extent determined by the “war cabinet,” according to the supreme interest.

He reiterated “the goal set by his government for the war, which is to eliminate the Hamas movement and kill all its members,” threatening all members of the movement “underground or above” that they are “condemned to death.”

He said that the timing and size of the ground attack on the Gaza Strip are being determined with the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, Herzi Halevy, and added: “I will not determine when, how and how much. I will not detail the set of considerations, most of which the public does not know.” Then he went to the people of Gaza, advising them to leave south.