Analysts: Israeli criticism of Netanyahu reflects a feeling of defeat in the war policy

Occupied Jerusalem- The criticism Israel is witnessing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against the backdrop of the provisions and information leaked in Tel Aviv about the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, carries with it many messages about the aggravation of internal conflicts, the future of Netanyahu’s government, and its relationship with the administration of US President Donald Trump.

The criticism and attacks on Netanyahu reflected the state of internal conflict in Israeli society regarding the failure to prevent the sudden attack on October 7, 2023, the failure to achieve the goals of the war on the Gaza Strip, the failure to eliminate the Hamas movement, and the dissipation of the “absolute victory” that Netanyahu promised.

Voices rose in the Israeli political arena, accusing the Prime Minister of defeat, saying that he deliberately prolonged the war, which inflicted more losses on Israel, with Netanyahu rejecting US President Joe Biden’s plan in May 2024 for the exchange deal, which is similar to the terms of the agreement crystallized at this stage. Which he accepted under pressure from the Trump team.

Internal conflicts

Criticism of Netanyahu, according to analysts’ readings, goes beyond the internal debate in Israeli society, to the rift in the right-wing camp and Netanyahu’s government coalition, which saw a war from which the opposition camp excluded its battle to achieve its settlement project in all of historic Palestine.

In light of the conflicts within the right-wing parties participating in the government, analysts’ readings suggest that there are difficulties facing the continuation of the current government coalition, which puts Netanyahu before difficult scenarios and choices in everything related to his political future.

According to analysts’ scenarios, Netanyahu may resort to forming an alternative government with the opposition parties, with the aim of implementing the ceasefire agreement and the exchange deal, to show Israeli society that he does not alone bear responsibility for what happened.

In this case, it is not unlikely that the Prime Minister will have to resort to the last option, which is to dismantle the far-right government and go to early elections for the Knesset. This means, according to analysts’ estimates, that all options reflect the difficulty of the situation in which Netanyahu finds himself.

An absurd war

In a reading of the internal criticism directed at Netanyahu, Israeli affairs researcher Amir Makhoul believes that this reflects the Israeli realization that the last half year of fighting in the Gaza Strip was like a senseless war without any clear goals, other than the genocide of the Palestinians.

Makhoul, a researcher at the Arab Progress Center for Policy, explained to Al Jazeera Net that the internal Israeli attack on Netanyahu indicates that the “absolute victory” that he promised has evaporated, retreated, and no longer exists, and these criticisms fall within the context of the stage of establishing an official investigation committee regarding… Losses and failures for Israel, as well as Hamas remaining in power in Gaza.

These criticisms, according to Makhoul, reflect Israeli estimates that Netanyahu has misled Israeli society and that he does not want to eliminate Hamas but rather weaken it, in order not to create any alternatives to it in Gaza, as well as ruling out the existence of a unified entity in the Gaza Strip that would establish unity with the West Bank, in order to avoid establishing A Palestinian state according to international resolutions.

A feeling of defeat

The same spokesman indicated that the attack on Netanyahu and his criticism reflects Israel’s feeling of defeat and the setback of the settlement project, whether in the northern Gaza Strip or in southern Lebanon, a setback that makes Israel lose its strategic depth and reinforces the saying that “Israel has been defeated.”

Makhoul justified the content and essence of Israel’s defeat by the Israeli extreme right’s reliance on Trump to achieve its project, as the information leaked from the ceasefire agreement suggests a setback to the right’s settlement dream with the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, which was repeated in the Lebanese scene, as Israeli forces will also withdraw from southern Lebanon. .

The Israeli affairs researcher believes that the leaks about the crystallized agreement indicate that Trump’s decisions do not go according to Netanyahu’s agenda and policies, and therefore it is not unlikely that the end of the Netanyahu era in particular will occur during Trump’s term, whose administration is in harmony with the proposal and agenda of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, which may change the equation. By entering political life again.

Regarding the repercussions of the criticism on Netanyahu’s future, Makhoul says, “At the beginning of the war, the Israeli societal rift was between the Netanyahu bloc and the anti-Netanyahu bloc, but at this stage the conflict moved to the coalition and within its bloc, which is no longer cohesive and is witnessing internal conflicts, both against the backdrop of stopping the war and settlement activity in Gaza.” And southern Lebanon, as well as the annexation of the West Bank and the recruitment of Haredim.”

Successive blows

The same proposal was adopted by political analyst Taha Agbaria, who believes that the criticism reflects the reality of Netanyahu’s failure and failure, who yesterday rejected what he accepts today, under penalty of American pressure, as it has become clear that the Israeli Prime Minister has submitted to what Trump is asking for at this stage, as well as to his demands and policies in the coming stages. .

Ighbaria explained – to Al Jazeera Net – that the attack on Netanyahu and his criticism is aimed at the fact that Israeli public opinion wanted to end the war and reach an exchange deal at an early stage, in order to avoid Israel from further human, economic and strategic losses.

The political analyst believes that these criticisms reflect a consensus in Israel that since the Al-Aqsa flood, it has received successive blows from the Palestinian resistance, and at this stage it appears in crisis and subject to Trump’s dictates, and has received a resounding defeat that forces it to accept the deal and the crystallized ceasefire agreement that comes in light of the escalation of resistance strikes by the Israeli army. In the northern Gaza Strip.

New stage

Taha Agbaria believes that the escalation of criticism is establishing a new phase that would lead to the disintegration of the current government if the Prime Minister does not retract the ceasefire agreement and the exchange deal, amid the growing trend in Israeli society demanding that Netanyahu be put on trial as a result of the failure on October 7, 2023. The repercussions of this failure have a strategic dimension on Israel.

He pointed out that Israel, which fought the longest war in its history, received strong and catastrophic blows on the economic, security and military levels, as these criticisms will put all failures on the table to hold accountable and prosecute everyone who was in a leadership position when the sudden attack occurred on “Black Saturday.” .

In this regard, Agbaria believes that the current government has begun to breathe its last breath with the Israeli leaks regarding the ceasefire agreement. What happened from the point of view of Israeli society was an earthquake, so that it was possible to stop the war at an early stage and avoid defeat and military-economic losses that would have repercussions on the future of Israel. .