Israel is divided over the priorities of the war in Gaza

Israeli protesters near Netanyahu's house in Jerusalem raise anti-war slogans and demand it stop (Anatolia)

Occupied Jerusalem -

On the eve of the sixth month of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, Israel seemed divided among itself regarding the priorities of the war, but it was unanimous among itself on the continued fighting of the Palestinian resistance factions - led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) - with the compass of this being the recovery of all Israeli detainees. Those in the sector.

Public opinion among the Israeli public supporting the war was formed as a result of the collective shock it received on October 7, 2023 with the start of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” battle, which formed a feeling of existential threat, and thus a widespread consensus that Israel was fighting a war without a choice, and this is what was promoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

On the basis of extremely broad Israeli public support for the war's goals and for the IDF's ground operations of returning all detainees, destroying the military arsenal of the Palestinian resistance, and ending Hamas' rule, Netanyahu maneuvered to prolong the war, which coincided with his personal political interest in remaining in the prime minister's chair and avoiding prosecution for corruption.

However, the high number of dead and wounded Israeli soldiers reflected the Israeli failure to eliminate Hamas militarily and politically, and this posed a major challenge to the internal community’s ability to withstand, amid the expansion of protests demanding the conclusion of a comprehensive exchange deal that would guarantee the return of all detainees, which cast a shadow over the political and partisan scene in Israel.

Israeli observers believe that Netanyahu is facing multiple internal crises centered around his failure to achieve the goals of the war (Reuters)

Map of parties

In light of the war and the ongoing debate regarding achieving its goals and the state of clash in the diplomatic and political tracks with the White House and Western countries, the Israeli political map is witnessing a state of division, between absolute and supportive support for Netanyahu and opposition to his policies in managing the war and the issue of detainees.

On the one hand, Netanyahu enjoys absolute support from the ruling coalition headed by the Likud Party, the ultra-Orthodox camp represented by the “Shas” party headed by Aryeh Deri, the “Torah Judaism” party headed by Moshe Gafni, and the extreme right camp represented by the “Jewish Greatness” party headed by Itamar Ben Gvir. And the "Religious Zionism" coalition led by Bezalel Smotrich.

On the other hand, the opposition bloc expresses its reservations about Netanyahu’s approach to managing the war and places the detainees’ issue on the list of priorities, represented by the “There is a Future” party headed by Yair Lapid, the “Israel Our Home” party led by Avigdor Lieberman, and the Labor Party headed by Merav Michaeli.

At a distance from all components of the Israeli political map, the Arab parties represented in the Knesset oppose the war. They are the Front and Change, headed by Ayman Odeh, and the United List, headed by Mansour Abbas. They call for a complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, and the start of a political process for the establishment of a Palestinian state with its capital. East Jerusalem is on the June 4 border alongside Israel.

Netanyahu failed

In reading the contrast of these positions, political analyst Akiva Eldar says, “Continuing the war and the certainty that it is unlikely to achieve its goals - especially ending Hamas’ civilian rule and liberating the detainees - has reinforced the prevailing belief in the Israeli political scene that Netanyahu is using the prolongation of the war to make personal reconciliation to remain in power.”

The political analyst explained to Al Jazeera Net that "Netanyahu - who will not hesitate to dismantle the emergency government and dispense with the alliance with the National Camp headed by Benny Gantz - has so far enjoyed the support of the government coalition that relies on the extreme right and the Haredi parties, as this coalition of 64 members in the Knesset appears cohesive." “With the exception of the position of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who opposes Netanyahu’s policies in managing the war.”

He pointed out that the convergence of the interests of the ruling coalition gives Netanyahu a lifeline, enabling him to continue maneuvering, continuing the war, and challenging the US administration, which is betting on Gantz as an internal pressure card, as he meets with Washington on everything related to war priorities.

Eldar recalled the tension and disagreements between Netanyahu and Gallant regarding everything related to the conduct of the war, responding to President Joe Biden’s demands regarding the exchange deal, implementing a temporary ceasefire, and making changes in the composition of the government coalition.

The political analyst believes that Netanyahu - who is facing multiple internal crises centered around his failure to achieve the goals of the war - finds himself facing a turning point in his political career due to the Haredi recruitment law, which is the law that enjoys the support of the majority of political parties from the coalition and the opposition.

Impact of war

In turn, spokesman for the “Peace Now” bloc, Adam Clare, says, “With the passage of time and the fact that the war’s objectives were not achieved and the battles and clashes intensified in the northern and central Gaza Strip - the areas that the Israeli army claimed to control - positions varied regarding the priorities of the war, even within the emergency government.” .

Clare - an activist in the movement calling for the liberation of detainees and stopping the war - explained to Al Jazeera Net that “these disagreements reflect the escalation of protests in the Israeli street and the demand to stop the war and restore all detainees at all costs, and have contributed to undermining general social solidarity and flexibility, and are now casting a negative light on the issue of detainees and support.” popular support for the war effort.

He added, "The long war and the military failure to achieve the war's goals contributed to causing cracks in the Israeli popular consensus regarding the continuation of the war, which expanded to additional fronts and became complicated with the vast majority of detainees remaining in captivity."

Clare pointed out that “the opposition disagrees with Netanyahu on the priorities of the war and not on the principle of fighting, and places the issue of liberating detainees at the top of its priorities, but it seeks to exploit crises, external pressures and all cumulative circumstances in order to replace Netanyahu in the current Knesset or go to early elections in light of the war and divisions.” ".

A societal rift

Recently, political differences and divisions have returned to the forefront in Israeli public discourse, according to a position issued by the Center for National Security Research at Tel Aviv University, which poses major challenges to social resilience in Israel.

According to the estimates of General Meir Alran, former assistant to the head of the Military Intelligence Service (Aman), and sociologist Anat Shapira, who drafted the situation assessment for the research center, “the continuation of the war and the return of disputes and divisions demonstrated the erosion of social solidarity and reduced confidence in the various Israeli systems and institutions and the way decisions are made, and cast "It casts a shadow of doubt on the motives of civil society organizations and parties."

Alran and Shapira believe that “policymakers and politicians in Israel must be very careful to avoid toxic and insulting political discourse, and avoid voting with political polarization on sensitive issues related to the war and over which there have been disagreements, such as the issue of detainees, which would deepen the rift in Israeli society and show The fragility of the home front.

In short, Alran and Shapira say in assessing the situation that “the return of toxic political discourse and division may be major negative factors in building the social capacity necessary for Israeli society to recover from the severe crisis and the repercussions of the war and the negative effects and accumulations, which would contribute to deepening the division in Israeli society, even with issues related to war and detainees.”

Source: Al Jazeera