“The wars of the past taught us that what begins with the explosion of national enthusiasm, retreats when it becomes necessary to pay a price. Netanyahu knows this better than anyone. It is not cowardice that drives him to postpone decisions time after time, but rather an in-depth understanding of public opinion polls.”

Israeli propaganda in the current war on Gaza paints a picture different from the reality at the center of decision-making, that is, in the Israeli “war cabinet,” in light of a crisis of confidence between the public and the leadership in Israel.

The official government spokesmen, and their mouthpieces on television channels, promote that decisions in the cabinet are taken unanimously, but the political analyst in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Nahum Barnea, reported that this is not true, and that “the truth is that in any cabinet that is formed during periods of emergency, there is no "There is a vote on decisions. The cabinet has not yet taken any decision related to a tangible political price. A test like this is coming, as it cannot be postponed forever."

He pointed out that "the wars of the past taught us that what begins with the explosion of national enthusiasm, in which everyone supports one person and one person supports everyone, and this enthusiasm declines when it is necessary to pay prices. Netanyahu knows this better than anyone. It is not cowardice that drives him to postpone decisions time after time." "But it is an in-depth understanding of public opinion polls. The weaknesses of the Israelis are his area of expertise."

Barnea pointed out that it would be easy for the cabinet to approve the US-Qatari deal to release Israeli detainees, some of whom also hold foreign nationalities, in exchange for a ceasefire for several hours or supplying the northern Gaza Strip with fuel and medicine.

He considered that "the truly difficult stage will be the liberation of Hamas prisoners, and it will collide with the memory of the Shalit deal. The prisoners who were liberated in it, led by Yahya Sinwar, brought upon us the current catastrophe."

Another difficult decision before the “war cabinet” concerns a large ground invasion in Gaza. Barnea pointed out that such a decision enjoys great popular support in Israel, “and this support will decline when the fighting continues, and the list of martyrs and dead soldiers grows longer and victory does not appear on the horizon. There are limits to the ability to absorb. 1,400 of our dead should not have fallen on October 7. And mothers.” Soldiers, and soldiers too, will wonder, “until when, and even what number” of deaths.

He added that some Israeli ministers see the liberation of detainees in Gaza as a top priority, while other ministers prefer a ground invasion. “They are convinced that the invasion will not thwart the deal (to free the detainees), but rather will reduce its price. Netanyahu is denying the need for a resolution. Any deliberations he holds end with other deliberations.”

According to Barnea, the US administration has an interest in preferring a deal regarding the detainees in Gaza, because a ground invasion would lead to an expansion of the war and the joining of Hezbollah, and would threaten regimes in the “moderate Arab countries” and implicate them and Israel in American public opinion. The release of detainees, including American citizens, will also benefit Biden's election campaign.

Israeli and American media reported that Netanyahu blocked a decision to launch a pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, but Barnea stated today that “war cabinet” members Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, from the “National Camp” bloc that joined Netanyahu’s government at the beginning of the war, opposed a military operation against Hezbollah "they are the ones who prevented a disastrous decision."

He added, "In the same way as Netanyahu is in the cabinet, everyone is right. Everyone has his influence. No one has a decisive influence. Thus, it is easier to prevent a decision from being taken. This applies to the decision that was taken this week, to prefer liberating the kidnapped people to entering by land. This is what was decided, But only future book authors will be able to tell us what really happened, and whether the kidnappers were the reason or just a cover in order to postpone a military operation whose price is high and whose effectiveness is doubtful.”

Source: Arab 48