Netanyahu faces divisions within his government and criticism from Israeli public opinion (Reuters)

The Wall Street Journal said that the continuation of the war in the Gaza Strip has put Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political standing at risk, and made his goal of eliminating the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) unattainable.

Hopes of reaching a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas faded after Netanyahu withdrew the negotiating team from the talks in Qatar earlier this week, and the talks are expected to move to Cairo next week.

Netanyahu faces divisions within his government, and Israeli public opinion is concerned about the war dragging on without achieving either of the initial two goals: destroying Hamas and releasing detainees.

The families of Israeli detainees have become more vocal in their criticism of the prime minister, and this week called on US President Joe Biden to personally push Netanyahu to accept the agreement.

The American newspaper added that Netanyahu's popularity declined, and the protest movement began filling the streets of Israel with anti-government demonstrators, to pressure for the release of detainees and call for new elections.

Netanyahu also faces threats from within his ruling coalition to topple his government if he accepts a deal that releases Palestinian prisoners with life sentences, as Hamas demands. Netanyahu has also faced conflict within the war cabinet, whose members are widely seen as waiting for the opportunity to oust him.

Abraham Diskin, a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said, “Netanyahu is trying to be tough in the negotiations on the one hand, and trying to please those who oppose him and his government on the other hand.” He added that with any potential agreement, Netanyahu risks failing to achieve the goal he has repeatedly set for the war: Complete victory over Hamas, including the dismantling of the military and political power of this movement.

Israeli and American military and intelligence officials say that this goal has become increasingly unattainable, regardless of whether the war is continuing or not, and they added that although this movement has been subjected to severe blows due to the Israeli war on Gaza, it seems that this will not discourage Hamas from continuing as a social movement. And military.

The Al-Aqsa flood attack launched by Hamas on October 7 presented new political risks for Netanyahu, as some Israelis blamed him for failing to prevent the attacks.

Criticisms

While officials close to Netanyahu say he wants to reach an agreement, he also needs to negotiate an agreement that will keep his government together and not alienate his conservative support base ahead of potential elections later this year.

Those around Netanyahu also argue that American pressure to end the war and reach a settlement with Hamas undermines Israel's negotiating position.

Inside Israel, Netanyahu was also criticized by former negotiators and security officials for giving his negotiating team a limited mandate in the last round of talks in Doha. Officials close to the Prime Minister reject the criticism.

A senior Israeli official involved in the talks said that the team has the ability to negotiate seriously.

"There is no indication at all that he is prepared to prioritize hostages over his unachievable war goal of complete victory," said Gershon Baskin, an Israeli detainee negotiator who helped broker a previous prisoner exchange with Hamas.

Netanyahu was a polarizing figure in Israeli society, and before the war he faced widespread protests against his plans to reduce the authority of the judiciary. He also faces an ongoing corruption trial, although he denies these accusations.

Source: Washington Post