[…] The disturbing truth for Netanyahu is that ending the fighting in a way the public perceives as weakness, concession or fatigue could very well cost him his position. The surveys that indicate tremendous public support for continuing the operation – 85 percent of those polled – are sowing the seeds of political disaster for him. That was the prevalent feeling among the political establishment this week.
When the leader of the right is in danger of losing the support of the right-wing electorate, it will take just one more setback to end his career. The prime minister and Likud chairman’s claim to fame, since his earliest days in politics, has been the way he defines himself – as interested first of all in security, and only then in diplomacy. He might emerge from the fighting in Gaza as the person who failed to deliver the goods – neither security nor diplomacy.
The last word
On Monday evening, while Netanyahu was preparing to talk to the media at Defense Ministry headquarters at the Kirya in Tel Aviv, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Economy Minister Bennett knocked on the door of his office, separately. Each wanted to be the last person to whisper profound, game-changing insights into the leader’s ears prior to his television appearance. Netanyahu has a reputation for formulating his decisions, or at least polishing them, based on the last message he hears.
Bennett won; he entered last. But basically, Livni’s policy had the upper hand. In his speech to the nation, Netanyahu was vague, and everything about him offered the same message he has been conveying since the fighting began: Give me a proper and reasonable cease-fire agreement and I’ll close up shop, withdraw the forces and declare that we won.
Bennett’s appropriate Zionist response was not long in coming. The following afternoon, during a visit to Ashkelon, he invited the media and spelled out what he considers the proper continuation of the fighting: an intensification of the operation, as far as necessary, until Hamas is subdued: “Don’t give in and don’t stop until you achieve that goal… Strike at Hamas mercilessly… until demilitarization, until a victory… until we finish the work.” All that was missing was for the prime minister himself to give orders to fire, and to end with the immortal words: “Advance advance, over and out!”
It’s no wonder that Netanyahu thought he would go out of his mind. The briefings quickly issued by his close confidants were aimed directly at the leader of Habayit Hayehudi. Bennett was accused of irresponsibility, populism, vote-mongering, cynicism, and double talk. What he says in closed cabinet sessions does not accord with his declarations to the media, Netanyahu’s associates claimed: “He is engaging in political spin, exploiting the fact that he does not bear responsibility, in order to try to encroach on the right-wing electorate at the expense of Likud.”
If there is any across-the-board consensus in the political establishment, it is that Bennett’s effort is bearing fruit. He is now considered the clear, genuine, distilled voice of the right. A real threat to Likud. You won’t find him attacking Netanyahu directly. On the contrary. He is extremely careful not to do so. But he continually offers a clear, aggressive, assertive and proud alternative to the prime minister’s policy, one that corresponds well to the public mood and precisely matches the feelings of the right. He sounds exactly the way Netanyahu sounded during Operation Cast Lead in 2009, for example.
In the cabinet, Bennett often clashes with Ya’alon and army officers. He arrives at the meetings after gathering information and collecting intelligence from senior officers in the field – brigade, battalion and division commanders he knows from his military service. In contrast to Lieberman, who constantly recites the old mantra about “occupying Gaza,” Bennett presents plans, outlines and concrete suggestions.
He was the first to suggest to Netanyahu that he exploit the killing of the three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank, before Operation Protective Edge, to begin destroying the terror tunnels in Gaza. In closed meetings, he conducts stubborn arguments with the army about the humanitarian cease-fires. Every such lull, he claims, directly helps Hamas to refresh and reorganize, and has a negative effect on the mood among our forces. It’s no coincidence that during every such lull we had casualties. But we need the cease-fires in order to take care of the tunnels, explain the IDF officers. No, he says, taking care of the tunnels is more effective when we advance and fire and cover the area with a big conflagration. And so on.
In his heart, Bennett knows that the cease-fire approved by the cabinet at the start of the operation, despite the opposition of Bennett and Lieberman, granted Israel the international legitimacy to continue. That won’t make him vote in favor of any cease-fires in the future. He finds it convenient that they are approved with the votes of other ministers.
This is his proposal in a nutshell: To continue fighting for a few more weeks until Hamas begs for a cease-fire, and then to insist on an agreement that will include the following clauses: 1. The IDF will remain in the area for a few more months, as long as necessary, during which time it will operate engineering tools that will destroy all the tunnels. 2. When the mission is accomplished the IDF will leave, but will have total freedom of action to enter Gaza at any time it sees fit, to handle immediate terror threats and “prevent strengthening.” 3. In exchange, he is willing to grant the Gazans “everything they could want” in terms of economic and civil benefits: opening of the crossings, a seaport, an airport. A brilliant, generous and cruel one, that Naftali.
@ NormanF:
*FACEPALM*
You seriously need to buy a brain, dude.
We went after you because of you absurd generalizations.
And of course, you double down with your imaginary “Jewish deference to the enemy”.
An hopeless case you are.
Does Bennett have any chance of winning a no-confidence vote and forcing a new election?
@ yamit82:
Israel can fight back or it can ignominiously surrender.
And here you and Avigail criticized me about Jewish deference to the enemy. I hope to G-d it doesn’t come true.
I hate for you both to have to acknowledge I was right.
The diplomatic Trap begins to close on Israel!!!!
Palestinian factions unanimously agree on main points of cease-fire deal, says official
@ the phoenix:
Thanks to you Sir.
Unfortunately, a lot among us are deluded and just refuse to look at the truth, starting with the Israeli leaders who are completely disconnected from reality and are deliberately missing the boat.
They did not yet understand that Israel is surrounded by enemies from inside and outside, whether called “Arab Israeli”, “Palestinian”, or “Bedouin”.
All share one goal: : the destruction of Israel and the eradication of Jewish national existence by all means.
@ XLucid:
Dear xlucid,
Reading your posts is akin to looking at myself in the mirror…
I would say pretty much the same thing, albeit in a less elegant form.
Nonetheless, I am afraid that our voices are a mere ‘voice in the desert’…
Last night I spoke to a god friend (in t-a ….)who was just oozing with praise for bn…
For the sake of our friendship, I tried not to remind him that he would STILL be in high school if it were not for my help… (We DO go back a long way), in other words, he is still a moron! Repeating the talking points of the goi VERBATIM!…
When asked, about the continued rocket launching… ” ah.. Well, if it continues, we’ll really go in and ‘rearrange their faces’…
He is not alone to think like that…
Sigh….
What can you say?… What can you do????
“In exchange, he is willing to grant the Gazans everything they could want” in terms of economic and civil benefits: opening of the crossings, a seaport, an airport.”
Bennett or Netanyahu are, as the old saying goes, six of one and half a dozen of the other.
Neither of them understood the root of the problem which has nothing to do with the boundaries of the Land or the betterment of Arabs livelihood.
Bennett can continue to dream that improving Arab economy will solve the problem but in the meantime, there are almost 5 millions of Arabs who represent a serious and direct threat to the Jewish citizens.
A few weeks ago, Bennett was “thanking G-d for the fact that Jews travel on the same roads as Arabs”, in a flagrant deny of the murders perpetrated on the same said roads against mothers and fathers and babies, and IDF soldiers all killed on Judea and Samaria roads shared with the same Arabs.
5 millions of Arabs as per the figures recently mentioned by MK, Moshe Feiglin, are the following: (i) Judea and Samaria 1.7 million Arabs, (ii) Gaza 1.3 Arabs, (iii) East sector of Jerusalem: 300,000 Arabs, (iv) citizens of Israel 1.4 million Arabs.
Improving Arab livelihood and strengthening Arab presence in any part of our Land is not the solution but constitutes the problem. All of them must go.
As long as Arabs will live in the midst of Jews, the Damocles sword will hang forever over every one of us.
By ignoring such reality, Bennett’s approach is no better that Shimon Peres’ and Co., the great dreamers which cost us thousands of deaths within Jewish citizens, soldiers or civilians, and billions of dollars in civil and military casualties.
“This is his (Bennet’s) proposal in a nutshell: To continue fighting for a few more weeks until Hamas begs for a cease-fire, and then to insist on an agreement that will include the following clauses: 1. The IDF will remain in the area for a few more months, as long as necessary, during which time it will operate engineering tools that will destroy all the tunnels. 2. When the mission is accomplished the IDF will leave, but will have total freedom of action to enter Gaza at any time it sees fit, to handle immediate terror threats and “prevent strengthening.” 3. In exchange, he is willing to grant the Gazans “everything they could want” in terms of economic and civil benefits: opening of the crossings, a seaport, an airport.”
– This plan would fail. No wonder HAARETZ likes it. – If HAMAS begs for ceasefire and an agreement is made with them – then HAMAS has not really been defeated and continues in control of Gaza. A terrorist group with sanctuary will rapidly recover and once again become an army, a strategic threat. “the IDF will leave but have total freedom of action to enter Gaza” – more “mow the grass” foolishness – “mowing the grass” leaves the roots undamaged to grow stronger and stronger. “In exchange…Grant the Gazans “everything they could want”” – you mean grant HAMAS everything it could want…”opening of the crossings, a seaport, an airport.”
Defeat HAMAS’ army
Deny any HAMAS remnants sanctuary – Assert Israeli sovereignty over Gaza and annex it.
Deny any HAMAS remnants sanctuary – Pursue remnants of HAMAS continually – giving it no chance to recover
Encourage population hostile to living in a Jewish state to emigrate, especially young people who could make the transition easily and later be able to help their parents and other relations.
Israel manages all recovery efforts to ensure no resources go to hostile organizations HAMAS, etc
Throw out the UN/UNRWA/etc and any hostile NGOs
Revive Jewish settlement efforts in GAZA
Repeat with Judea and Samaria against the PA.
Netanyahu endorsed Oslo in his first term in 1996. In his second term in 2009, he endorsed a PLO state in Israel’s heartland. Israel has not had a genuinely anti-Oslo candidate in the past twenty odd years. All contrary to his political stands before entering office. Israel’s political system drains people of their Zionist/Jewish ideals quickly. And the worst offenders aren’t the politicians; its the political generals in the IDF for whom victory still remains a foreign word.