There seems to be some confusion or ambiguity about what Israel is going to do with Gaza or whether Gazans who fled to the south will ever return to the north. Most of the population of north Gaza has fled to the south as the IDF has taken over Gaza City. Now, what’s next for the IDF? Will they invade the South as well and if so, where will the Gazans go?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been exceptionally successful in advocating for the Palestinians thanks to the brutal force by which the IDF conducted its war on Hamas, killing thousands of women and children in the process. There is no doubt that Hamas is also responsible for many civilian deaths as it uses them as human shields and blocks their escape routes, but the will to destroy Hamas is not proved by a death toll. Surprisingly, Israel is making no diplomatic effort on the EU to sanction Qatar for sponsoring and homing Hamas. The will to bomb Gaza is not matched by an effort by the Israeli government to go after Hamas leaders, and apparently, there is no talk about them being allowed to operate with immunity. So what’s the end game for Netanyahu’s government? Take over Gaza and keep fighting Hamas as a terrorist group?
Netanyahu clearly shows a great sense of impunity and disrespect for international law by the way he conducts wars, and after years of allowing the extensive Jewish settlement expansions in the West Bank, Netanyahu has forced Palestinians into a corner leaving them with very few options and no hope of creating their own state. Netanyahu is creating more enmity towards Israel and giving fuel to Israel’s enemies, yet Israelis seem to be aware of this as well.
Netanyahu’s poll ratings in Israel are at record lows, and although polls also show that Israelis have no hope for peace, a more moderate replacement of Netanyahu could start changing the discourse and narrative of the conflict.
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