Tommy Patrio Sorongan, CNBC Indonesia
Monday, 11/27/2023 21:00 WIB
Photo: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a meeting with US President Joe Biden (not pictured), as Biden visits Israel amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 18, 2023. (REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN )
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Israeli Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu is facing two conflicts at once. Apart from leading Israel’s military operation in Gaza to destroy the Hamas militia, the senior politician also faces domestic political problems.
In the report Reutersthe Israeli public has raged at several ministers in Netanyahu’s cabinet, blaming them for failing to prevent the armed Hamas militia from entering Gaza, killing 1,200 people, kidnapping another 240 and engulfing the country in war.
In separate incidents, at least three of his ministers were subjected to ridicule and harassment when they appeared in public, underscoring the extent of public anger over the failures that paved the way for Hamas to carry out the attack.
Over the weekend, Netanyahu’s office released a video showing him in the Defense Ministry situation room. On Sunday, Netanyahu visited Gaza. His office later released photos showing him wearing a helmet and flak jacket meeting with soldiers and commanders.
Known by the nickname “Bibi”, Netanyahu would benefit from a war that further delays a corruption trial he has been pursuing for 3.5 years and delays a state investigation into why Israel under his leadership let his guard down.
Rallying with the generals, he may also have hoped to save his reputation through his actions in the war and the return of the hostages, while refusing to accept responsibility and ignoring questions asking whether he would resign.
But his biographer, Anshel Pfeffer, said Netanyahu would likely struggle to take power again after the October 7 Hamas attack and the war in Gaza.
“He is now tarnished by the failure to prevent the October 7 massacre, by his own strategy of allowing Hamas to remain in control, with its military arsenal, in Gaza,” he said, quoted Monday (27/11/2023).
The author of the book “Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu” published in 2018, said that surveys in recent weeks showed that Israelis trusted the security establishment to lead the war effort, but did not trust Netanyahu.
“The failure of October 7 is his legacy. Any success Israel achieves afterward will not be ascribed to him,” Pfeffer added.
Netanyahu’s intentions in Gaza
Netanyahu has vowed to rein in security in Gaza indefinitely, adding uncertainty to the fate of the enclave.
Meanwhile, Israel has launched a seven-week offensive in the region to destroy Hamas. About 14,800 Palestinian civilians were killed in the attacks.
Professor emeritus of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Abraham Diskin, said the move also showed how Netanyahu continued to concentrate on securing his seat.
“To go out and face people who are screaming at you and hate you so much, there’s no benefit in doing that, so he decided not to do it,” Diskin said.
Savior or Disaster?
Former Israeli Defense Minister and Military (IDF) General Benny Gantz joined the Israeli war cabinet that Netanyahu formed days after the Hamas attack to unite the country in a campaign to crush Palestinian militias and take back hostages.
With nearly 40 years of experience in the military, the centrist Gantz offers Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party a more stable government that reduces the influence of his right-wing and religious coalition partners on the fringes of Israeli society.
Perhaps united in war, they are at odds politically. Gantz, Netanyahu and Likud’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant once held a press conference together. However, a photo from one of the events that went viral on social media showed Netanyahu alone, and Gallant and Gantz standing together at the side.
A Nov. 16 poll showed that a Netanyahu-led coalition that won 64 seats in the November 2022 election would have 45 seats in today’s 120-member Knesset compared to Gantz’s National Unity Party’s 70 seats, which would be enough to take power.
Gantz has little of Netanyahu’s experience or talent on the world stage, and critics say his relaxed demeanor shows indecisiveness and a lack of principles. Gantz describes himself as having more grit than varnish.
Often seen as as intransigent towards the Palestinians as Netanyahu, Gantz has made no commitment to the statehood they seek, but has in the past supported efforts to restart peace talks with them.
But two weeks ago, the leader of the centrist opposition, Yair Lapid, said it was time to replace Netanyahu without holding elections.
“We cannot afford another election cycle in the coming year where we continue to fight and explain why the other side is a disaster,” Lapid wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Watch the video below:
Video: Hamas-Israel ceasefire, aid enters Gaza
(luc/luc)
2023-11-27 14:00:00
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