Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's row with Team Biden over delayed weapons supplies and his threats to expand the fighting with Hezbollah across the Lebanese border look to distract the public from Tel Aviv's military failures in the Gaza Strip, according to the Conversation contributor Professor Scott Lucas of University College Dublin.
According to Lucas, the Israeli military earlier warned Netanyahu that it's impossible to eliminate Hamas, something the premier is striving to do while rejecting repeated ceasefire proposals from regional and global players.
"This business of destroying Hamas, making Hamas disappear — it’s simply throwing sand in the eyes of the public. Hamas is an idea, Hamas is a party. It’s rooted in the hearts of the people — anyone who thinks we can eliminate Hamas is wrong," spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told an Israeli broadcaster on June 19.
On the one hand, the warning indicates that analysts who predicted that Netanyahu's all-out Gaza war would not only fail to eliminate Hamas but would help the political and military group present itself as the sole protector of Gaza's civilians, the academic noted.
On the other, the statement is nothing short of a "challenge" from the Israeli top brass to Netanyahu, Lucas believes.
Prior to Haragi's remarks, former IDF commander and Israeli politician Benny Gantz left Netanyahu's war cabinet after the Israeli prime minister rejected his "strategic demands." Gantz's six demands prioritized a return of hostages and installing a new political leadership in Gaza, rather than seeking the complete "destruction" of Hamas.
After Netanyahu snubbed his proposals, Gantz accused the prime minister of placing his personal and political interests ahead of the security and existential needs of Israel.
As of yet, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has not signaled his concerns, but it is clear that the Israeli government does not have a plan B to end the "perpetual" war in the Gaza Strip, Lucas pointed out.
"So with no plan B, what does Netanyahu do to stem the pressure upon him from inside and outside Israel? He plays for time. In the past week, Netanyahu has said he supports only a 'partial' hostage deal with Hamas, so Israel could resume fighting after its women, the elderly, and sick were released," the professor wrote.
The crux of the matter is that once Netanyahu announces a ceasefire, he will be in political and legal jeopardy unless Hamas no longer exists, Lucas underscored:
"Early elections will probably follow in Israel, and he is far behind Gantz and the National Unity Party in polling. Perhaps more importantly, he will face bribery charges which have effectively been suspended by the war."