Analysts and former members of the Israeli Knesset believe that the reason for the continuation of the war on the Gaza Strip is that its goal – from the official point of view – is to maintain the government coalition and keep Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in power, and to cover up the government’s failure and violence.
In the context of their ongoing discussions of the repercussions of the war on Gaza, Israeli media channels focused on the reasons for Netanyahu’s insistence on continuing the war, which was addressed by Yair Golan, a former member of the Knesset, during a demonstration against the government.
Golan said: “Waging an honest war cannot be in the hands of corrupt and extremist people whose only goal is to continue the war, multiply the disaster, and hide under the umbrella of emergency to cover up their failure and violence.”
For his part, Guy Billig, a correspondent and analyst for judicial affairs on Channel 12, criticized Netanyahu’s insistence on continuing the war, and pointed out that in every session of the mini-cabinet, the goals of the war on Gaza are presented, which are: “Ending the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and eliminating its military capabilities.” The return of the kidnapped people and additional goals, but Netanyahu sees an additional goal, which is to maintain his government coalition and maintain his power.”
He added, “Netanyahu is a danger to Israel because he always prefers his political considerations over military considerations,” and he does not want to anger National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
In a discussion session on Channel 13, Itzik Horn – who has a son detained by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza – pointed out that Israeli officials talk all the time about the continuous pressure on Hamas, and that when they see that they have no options, the protesters become a strategic treasure that must be preserved.
Horn wondered what price the government, which he said had neglected them on October 7, would be willing to pay in order to free those detained by the Palestinian resistance in Gaza, and said: “What is the price of a detainee?”
As for Aver Kara, a former deputy minister, he affirmed his opposition to ending the war on Gaza “before we completely annihilate Hamas,” but he said – as reported by Channel 13 – that the State of Israel is obligated to return all detainees home.
