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Experts and analysts believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to launch a new phase in his war on the Gaza Strip, stemming from his unwillingness to end the war for personal considerations. They expect this phase to enjoy cover from the American administration, even if it appears on the horizon that the circle of disagreement between the two parties will expand.

Netanyahu told the Politico news website that Israel is about to end the bulk of the war, which he said was two months or less away until it finally ends, stressing that there is no ceasefire without the release of prisoners held by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).

In the context of his talk about the American position, Netanyahu believes that there is consensus regarding the basic goals and disagreements about how to achieve them, which appeared most clearly in US President Joe Biden’s statement that Netanyahu harms Israel more than it helps it, as he makes the rest of the world oppose what Israel represents.

This dispute is considered by Dr. Khalil Al-Anani, professor of political science and international relations, to be fictitious and not real, and it relates to tactical matters, not substantive matters. The American administration - according to his talk on the program “Gaza... What’s next?” - is a full partner to the occupation in its aggression against the Gaza Strip and is not just an external supporter.

He added that Netanyahu sees the war as a political project and a goal in itself and not a means to achieve other goals, because of what is known about the connection between stopping the war and holding him accountable, whether for previous corruption files, his failure to confront the attacks of last October 7, or his failure to achieve any military achievement. On the ground.

American green light

Al-Anani adds that with the green light and unlimited support from the US administration, Netanyahu does not find any reason to stop his absurd war in Gaza, considering Biden’s escalating talk about the humanitarian aspect and his announcement of seeking to establish a sea corridor as nothing but a form of a public relations campaign to whitewash his face internally in light of the clear decline in his popularity. .

In turn, Palestinian writer and political analyst Ahmed Al-Haila believes that Netanyahu, with his insistence on continuing the war, seeks to inaugurate a new phase of it that has two basic headings: the first is the continuation of military pressure on the resistance, and the other, in parallel, is the exploitation of the humanitarian catastrophe so that it turns into an element of pressure on civilians.

In this context, Al-Haila referred to what was reported about the communication of the Israeli government coordinator in the Palestinian territories, Ghassan Alian, with figures inside Gaza in an attempt to form an alternative administration to Hamas on the ground, which was confirmed by the Commissioner General of the Palestinian Tribes in the Gaza Strip, Akef Al-Masry, who refused to deal with Absolutely with him.

Al-Haila linked Netanyahu's talk about the war needing two months to achieve its goals and what American sources mentioned about the need for a sea corridor and the establishment of a pier off the shores of Gaza to two months, considering that this comes within the framework of coordinating an undisclosed plan to exploit the relief file to create an alternative authority to the Hamas movement.

De facto policy

The Palestinian political analyst considered the success of this plan dependent on the fait accompli policy and who will prevail in the field, stressing at the same time Washington's involvement in these endeavors that Netanyahu is working to achieve.

For his part, Dr. Bilal Al-Shobaki, head of the Department of Political Science at Hebron University, believes that Netanyahu’s insistence on the war option depends on the fact that he has no other real options, and that his continued repetition of his claims of the ability to achieve victory and his closeness to it comes within that framework.

In this regard, Al-Shoubaki refers to previous readings presented of Netanyahu’s policy - some of which came from Israeli sources - with his tendency to drag wars into a stage of dilution and reach a stage in which it cannot be said absolutely that there is a victor and a vanquished, which enables him to make claims that are open to interpretation, as happened in previous wars. .

He believes that Netanyahu's efforts in his war against Hamas are no longer just military, and that the next step is to create files that enable spaces for Palestinian-Palestinian disputes, considering this to be a catastrophic matter if it is achieved, and requires vigilance and movement from the Palestinian national factions.

Source: Al Jazeera