Beniamin Netanyahu is a survivor whose days are numbered. Or not. On the streets of Tel Aviv or Jerusalem it is difficult to find any Israeli who speaks well of the prime minister who was not able to prevent the Hamas terrorist attack of October 7, in a nation that has made security a national brand.
At home, the Likud leader has against him the survivors of the Hamas massacre in the kibbutzim, moshav and other towns surrounding Gaza, where at least 1,200 people were killed and some 240 were kidnapped. And to the families of the 138 hostages still in captivity, who demonstrate every day in front of the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv, and who believe that Netanyahu is not doing everything possible to free their loved ones, especially after withdrawing from Doha to Mossad negotiators after the breakdown of the truce. After that, the families raised their voices, openly criticizing the Government and the War Cabinet and seeking help in international arenas; Yesterday, a group of family members was received by President Joe Biden.
The conservative politician already had a large part of the population against him before the war, due to his corruption trials and the controversial attempt at judicial reform, which generated massive protests in the streets.
Today the war marks 69 days since the Hamas attack, and a month and a half since the ground offensive began on October 27. The Hanukkah holiday will end tomorrow, when eight days have passed since its beginning, in which millions of candles have been lit so that the light will end the dark times, but it does not seem that the darkness of war will end quickly, despite the fact that ground troops are already fighting throughout the strip, harshly in Khan Younis and Gaza City.
There is a general indolence in Israeli society in the face of the mass killing of Palestinians; Citizens are aware of the deaths of thousands of children, despite the fact that the Hebrew media hardly show images other than their soldiers in action, but they consider that there is no other way to end Hamas, an organization that wants to destroy the State of Israel. and the Jewish people. To try to prevent this, 115 soldiers have already died in Gaza, the last ten in an ambush in Gaza City, the capital of the strip that Israel said weeks ago it had controlled. Another 1,645 have been injured. There is no criticism against the Government for the deaths of soldiers in a militarized country full of reservists and armed civilians. Among the soldiers killed in combat is even the son of a minister who is a member of the War Cabinet, Gadi Eisenkot.
“Netanyahu is finished.” A phrase that this special envoy has heard in the last month from Israelis of all walks of life and ages. But first he has to end the war.
Internationally, Netanyahu's oxygen is running out faster. The images of dead, wounded, and mutilated Palestinian children that are not seen in Israel are broadcast on television around the world. Israel has already killed 18,608 people and injured 50,594. Of course, the autocratic Arab states denounced the invasion of Gaza from the first minute – with statements, rather than actions; But also European countries, such as Spain, or Latin American countries, such as Colombia or Chile, questioned the bombings on the strip and confronted Netanyahu with diplomatic consequences. International organizations, such as the UN or the WHO, criticized Israel; Organizations like the Red Cross, or NGOs that are in Gaza, like Doctors Without Borders, do not stop doing so.
However, only the position of the United States can influence the Israeli government. On Tuesday, Biden raised his tone, telling Netanyahu that “he has to change,” that he must be more flexible. He was referring to the closed stance regarding the day after the war but also that the indiscriminate bombings are causing Israel to “begin to lose” international support.
The White House wants to advance the two-state solution. Israel not only does not want to, but has already shown signs of wanting to keep troops in Gaza after the war. And he also does not want the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) controlling the strip. The current president of the EU, Pedro Sánchez, openly confronting Netanyahu, will take advantage of this “disagreement” tomorrow – as the Israeli premier called it – between the US and Israel to ask the European Council for a ceasefire and advance in his proposal for an international conference for a two-state solution.
But Netanyahu continues with his broken record, day after day. “Nothing will stop us,” he said yesterday during a visit to a military intelligence unit, responding to “international pressure.” And then, referring to electronic technology, he added: “Sophistication saves many lives.”
Meanwhile, in Jenin (West Bank), an army incursion that began on Tuesday and continued until yesterday left six Palestinians dead, plus a sick 13-year-old boy who died because the military blockade of the city prevented him from receiving medical assistance. There were also a hundred detainees, including Ahmed Tobasy and Mustafa Sheta, directors of the local NGO The Freedom Theater, a theater school in the refugee camp. Sheta was interviewed a few days ago by this special envoy.
In this context, it is not surprising that a survey by a Palestinian opinion institute yesterday showed that Hamas has doubled its political support after the start of the war. If elections were held in Palestine today, the Islamist party would obtain 44% support compared to the 22% it had before October 7. In addition, 88% of those surveyed call for the resignation of the president of the ANP, Mahmud Abbas.
