Six weeks after Benjamin Netanyahu scored a victory over Iran, the Israeli leader is now pushing forward with an “all or nothing” deal with Hamas. But he hasn’t made the compromises necessary to make it happen.
When Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, led the country to a military victory against Iran in June, both his allies and rivals touted it as his greatest achievement. Brimming with newfound confidence and authority, Mr. Netanyahu seemed to have finally gained the political capital he needed to overcome opposition from his far-right allies in the government to broker a ceasefire in Gaza.
Six weeks later, the prime minister has squandered that momentum. Talks between Hamas and Israel are, once again, at a standstill. Israel is now pushing for a deal to end the war immediately, rather than in stages. But like Hamas, Mr. Netanyahu has refused to make the compromises necessary to make such a deal work, and the credit he garnered in June has evaporated, both at home and abroad.
International condemnation of the growing famine in Gaza, which aid agencies and many foreign governments have blamed largely on Israel's 11-week blockade of the territory this year, is at its peak. Partly to protest Israel's responsibility for the situation, some of Israel's early allies have pledged to recognize a Palestinian state in the near future.
Domestic opposition to the war in Gaza is at an all-time high, and calls are growing for the remaining hostages held by Hamas to be returned through a diplomatic deal. Israel’s ability to continue the war, amid the growing fatigue of its army reservists, is increasingly in doubt. Following a surge in suicides among reservists, the army has set up a commission to investigate how best to support those leaving the service.
"Israel is in the most difficult position it has been in at any moment of the war," said Michael Koplow, an analyst at the Israel Policy Forum, a New York-based research group.
“It is facing a social crisis due to the continuation of the war and the fate of the hostages, a military crisis due to the lack of clear objectives and the fatigue of the reservists, a diplomatic crisis due to close European allies lining up to unilaterally recognize the Palestinian state, and an existential crisis due to the erosion of its position in the US,” said Mr. Koplow.
The protracted conflict in Gaza also reflects President Trump’s failure to capitalize on the leverage he gained during the war with Iran. By joining Netanyahu’s attacks, Trump handed Israel a symbolic victory. At the time, analysts expected him to ask Netanyahu to return the favor by ending the war in Gaza.
“He had all the influence in the world to tell Netanyahu: ‘We have to end this now,’” said Daniel B. Shapiro, a member of the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, and a former U.S. ambassador to Israel.
“Instead, Netanyahu appears to have convinced Trump to give him more time,” Mr. Shapiro said. “Now, things are just dragging on and on.”
Patrick Kingsley is the New York Times' Jerusalem bureau chief, leading coverage of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. /Adapted by Lapsi.al
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