Israel - What was so dramatic about the cabinet decision last night?

 

 In the past two years, there have been decisions far more dramatic — sending soldiers to the front lines or risking the lives of hostages. (The decisions to bomb Iran, strike Hezbollah, or begin maneuvering in Gaza after October 7 were much more “dangerous.”)

 So what’s all the drama about? And why did even Tzipi Livni, who left political life years ago, rush to demand that the head of the Histadrut labor union shut down the economy (and what does he even have to do with this)?

 The answer: For decades, generals have repeated the mantra that every military maneuver must lead to a political horizon and diplomatic achievement, and that this is the measure of its success. Last night, the cabinet changed the direction of the diplomatic ship — and all the former officials and veterans of the “political solution” camp are in shock.

For decades, the career path of every brave general leaving the IDF was to join some “strategic research institute” — in Washington or in Israel (such as the INSS) — most aligned with progressive Democrats in the U.S. and supported by them. There, they were taught about “political solutions.”

The overarching idea promoted by all these think tanks was that the Israeli–Palestinian conflict must end in an agreement and compromise. Hundreds of plans and proposals were drafted over the decades, and even a few international agreements were signed in that spirit.

The cabinet decision last night — to conquer Gaza — launches an alternative political plan, also backed by the U.S., which is different from and opposite to all the models presented to us over the years.

Main points of the new political plan:

   •   The two-state solution has failed and is off the table (the Europeans made some noise for solidarity’s sake, then vanished).
   •   Hamas — representing most of Gaza’s population and a significant portion of the Arabs in Judea and Samaria — will be eliminated as a governing and military entity.
   •   Gaza will no longer be considered Palestinian territory. It was never under the sovereignty of any state. In essence, Gaza is terra nullius — land belonging to no one. Egypt gave it up; Israel got stuck with it in the 1981 peace agreement with Egypt and relinquished it in the disengagement. Now, the U.S. president wants it.
   •   The U.S. and Israel are coordinated on the “political horizon”: Israel will defeat Hamas, and the U.S. will support the demilitarization of the area — removing weapons and fighters. Homeless residents who wish to emigrate will receive American assistance and destination countries. Those who remain will integrate into the U.S. economic development vision.
   •   And why is Gaza so important to the U.S.? I have written more than once about Gaza’s role as a critical passage in the American vision for a southern goods and energy corridor, as part of Trump’s new world order plan. (See thread.) 

The entire security leadership and political opposition leadership are in complete denial — for them, Trump’s plan either does not exist or will never materialize. In their eyes, we are not moving toward a political solution but toward a swamp of terrorism — as if we learned nothing from Lebanon and Gaza in the past.

Isn’t such conduct even more irresponsible? To ignore a known plan, one that representatives of the Israeli and American governments have repeated again and again?

And more surprising than anything is to see this denial from someone who served here as prime minister, knows the U.S. administration, understands diplomatic processes, hears from administration officials — yet refuses to acknowledge what is happening. Instead, he chooses to sow panic and despair among the Israeli public, tired but determined to win.

This is what former Prime Minister Yair Lapid said about last night’s cabinet decision:

“The cabinet decision last night is a disaster that will lead to many more disasters. In complete contradiction to the opinion of the army and security ranks, without considering the wear and exhaustion of the fighting forces, Ben Gvir and Smotrich dragged Netanyahu into a move that will take many months, lead to the death of the hostages, the killing of many soldiers, cost the Israeli taxpayer tens of billions, and result in diplomatic collapse. This is exactly what Hamas wanted: for Israel to be stuck in the field without a goal, without defining the picture of the day after, in a useless conquest that no one understands where it leads.

History and your common sense will judge who was right.”

(Shlomo Filber)

Amir Tsarfati said:

s I predicted: the diplomatic pressure has thus begun:

▪️German Chancellor Friedrich Merz: We will not export any weapons and combat equipment to Israel to be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice

▪️Dutch Foreign Minister:
We have always been clear: Gaza belongs to the Palestinians.

▪️Danish Foreign Minister: Calling on Israel to immediately reverse the decision to occupy Gaza

▪️Turkish Foreign Ministry: Condemns the Israeli decision to take control of Gaza City

▪️Belgian Foreign Minister: We condemn the decision to occupy Gaza and renew the settlements.

▪️Norwegian Foreign Minister: Israel's takeover of the entire Gaza Strip is an unacceptable violation of international law.

▪️Scottish Prime Minister: We reject the Israeli decision that will cause suffering to the Palestinians. The international community must stop Israel and ensure a ceasefire.

▪️Danish Foreign Minister: We call on Israel to immediately reconsider its latest decision regarding Gaza

Me: 

He he, the prophetic line cannot be delayed or avoided! Actually, they all know that but Israel must be shown to the rest of the world as an alone wolf. Why? You'll see soon 😄