Support the State

Understand its Divisions

Events continue to unfold quickly in Israel. The IDF is retaking ground in Gaza that it evacuated during the ceasefire. The nine week ceasefire resulted in the return of 30 of the people stolen by Hamas during the invasion of October 7, 2023, of whom 23 were living. Also released were three Israelis held for over 10 years, of whom two were living. One of these long term captives was an Arab and one of them was a Jew. Both were troubled before they entered Gaza, and ten years of torture and oppression in captivity left both of them broken in mind and spirit. The intentions of Hamas are not a secret. Their goal is to kill or expel every Jew in the land of Israel and to enslave everyone else in the country under their pernicious system of Jihadist totalitarianism. Their treatment of any Israeli they capture is cruel and inhuman, as befits their genocidal mission.

We wrote a number of times that any agreement between Hamas and Israel for a phase II agreement was unlikely, as the goals of Israel and Hamas for phase II were diametrically opposed. Hamas wants a long term pause in hostilities and a chance to rebuild and rearm for its next attack. Israel wants an end to the armed Hamas presence in Gaza and an end to any Hamas influence on Gaza governance.

During the ceasefire, Hamas recruited thousands of young fighters (many of them under 18) to replace the thousands killed by the IDF during the fighting of the past 17 months. Hamas also filled its storehouses with stolen humanitarian aid, which has poured into Gaza under the terms of the ceasefire agreement. They also reestablished their military presence in northern Gaza once Israel withdrew from the Netzarim corridor.

Israel waited for three weeks after the end of phase I on the 42nd day of the truce, before resuming its military campaign to destroy Hamas. The delay was due to efforts spearheaded by the Trump administration to negotiate an extension to the truce and the release of additional hostages. After three weeks, it was evident that Hamas had no serious interest in arriving at such an arrangement. Therefore it is not surprising that Israel has resumed its war against Hamas. The government of Israel has maintained since the war began that there would be no end to the war until Hamas was removed from power and all the hostages were released. With neither objective achievable by diplomatic means, the return to war was the inevitable consequence of Israel’s policy since October 7, 2023.

Bitter Divisions in the State

When Israel resumed bombing Gaza, the commentary from anti-government demonstrators and spokespeople was bitter. According to them, the government was resuming the war in order to preserve the coalition. Otzma Yehudit did rejoin the government the day after the bombing resumed, and that seems likely to ensure that the government will be able to pass a budget by the end of March. This will allow them to hold on to power. With the present Knesset in its third year, the coalition has another 18 months to govern Israel and implement their legislative program. However, the failure to secure the release of any more hostages on terms acceptable to Israel is an equally reasonable explanation for the resumption of the fighting.

Another issue is sharply dividing supporters and opponents of the government. This arose as a result of an investigation into members of Netanyahu’s inner circle who allegedly took money from Qatar to promote a good image for the emirate, and to use their influence to prevent measures that would harm in its interests. This investigation was conducted by the Shin Beth, which is Israel’s intelligence service.

Israel Einhorn and Yonatan Urich with PM Netanyahu. The two men were identified today as the ones charged with accepting money from Qatar to influence Israel’s policies. —————-Source: Times of Israel

Israel’s Prime Minister has since taken steps to fire Ronen Bar, the the head of the Shin Beth. He has in turn claimed that the government’s reasons for firing him are “entirely tainted by conflicts of interest”. He has explicitly tied the effort to get rid of him to the ongoing investigation into improper influence inside the government by Qatar and says it may undermine the investigation. Yesterday the cabinet voted unanimously to dismiss Bar. Today the Israeli Supreme Court ordered that the firing be rescinded. The government in turn insisted that the court did not have the power to stop it.

Meanwhile the government is advancing measures to give it more control over judicial appointments. They are also trying to fire the Attorney General who has frequently opposed the government’s attempts to overhaul Israel’s judicial system and curb the power the courts exercise over the government. The Attorney General has also stated that the firing of Ronen Bar was illegal.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir (left) with Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Beit at a meeting today in Southern Israel ——- Source: Times of Israel

Divisions within Israel over the government’s attempts to remove checks on its power and officials that oppose its policies are creating a sense of crisis for some. The disagreement over the resumption of the war and fears for the fate of the remaining hostages are likewise causing unrest. A former Chief Justice of the Israel Supreme Court, Aharon Barak, said that the country was on a path to civil war.

Fighting on Multiple Fronts

As the ground operation ramps up in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen have resumed ballistic missile launches toward Israel. This has resulted in rocket alerts covering the densely populated center of the country for the past three nights. Our family in Israel report that they are back in the safe room again as we are writing this.

Meanwhile an American bombing campaign aimed at the Houthis has continued for several days. The Houthis retaliated by targeting American war ships. The Trump Administration has threatened Iran, saying that they will treat attacks by the Houthis as direct attacks by the Iranians on the US.

In Lebanon, Israel has resumed air strikes against Hezbollah. Arms caches in Syria were also attacked yesterday, and an air base was attacked today.

The Trump Administration has expressed its support for Israel’s resumption of fighting against Hamas in Gaza. They state that by refusing to release the captives, Hamas is solely responsible for the renewed fighting.

With the Americans continuing to pressure the Arab countries by insisting that they will ultimately take control of Gaza, and relocate the population, Egypt reportedly changed its position and agreed to take in up to 500,000 Gazans while the strip is being rehabilitated. Other countries mentioned as possible destinations for the people of Gaza are Syria, Sudan and Somalia.

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As we anxiously observe Israel’s sharp political and social divisions, from the vantage point of the diaspora, it is incumbent on us to continue to support the state in this era of war and international upheaval. Some developments seem to present Israel with unprecedented opportunities. The forces of the Iranian axis have been significantly depleted and Iran itself is facing an imminent threat from the United States, which has greatly toughened its position under the new Administration.

At the same time internal divisions threaten Israel from within. It’s important, in our view to understand the concerns of both government and opposition and to support efforts to bridge the divisions and preserve national unity. Israel is an unrivalled military power in the region and it enjoys the backing of an American Administration which is much more sympathetic to Israel’s positions than the previous one. Internal division is thus the biggest threat to Israel’s security, other than a possible Iranian nuclear weapon.

In our view it is important that the government exercise its power responsibly, and that the opposition avoid rhetoric and actions that would push the country into civil unrest. Just because the government believes it has the power to do something, doesn’t mean that doing that thing is wise or in the best interests of the state.

For example, the IDF needs to expand its recruitment. The drafting of men from the Haredi population is both necessary and would be good for social harmony. Exempting the Haredi population from military service may be the policy of the government. They may have the power to do it. But passing such a measure would not be in the best interests of the state, even if the alternative is new elections.

There are many other issues where the government’s actions seem devoted to political rather than state interests. The firing of the Shin Beth chief is only one of many, albeit the biggest and most current. Another is the refusal to establish a commission of inquiry into the government’s responsibility for the events of October 7. Both the army and the Shin Beth have conducted investigations and the Chief of Staff of the Army Herzi Halevy resigned as a result. It time for the government to do the same, but so far it has blocked all efforts to do so.

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