Netanyahu Government Relies Solely on Force, no clear strategy or diplomatic vision

10 hours ago

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00:00Well, for more, we're joined now by Yossi Mekkelberg, Senior Consulting Fellow with the Middle East and North Africa Programme at Chatham House.

00:07Thanks so much for being with us on the programme.

00:10Firstly, this new operation that we're seeing beginning today in the occupied West Bank,

00:16how exactly does it differ to what the IDF is already doing there and has been doing since the start of the year, essentially?

00:25Good evening. Thank you for having me.

00:28It's not very different because we saw a very similar operation in the towns of Jenin and Tulkaum, Shams,

00:37when in refugee camps, basically more than 30,000 people were driven out of their homes and many, many, many houses been destroyed there.

00:48So in this sense, there is an element of continuation of that just to show everyone the volatility of the situation there

00:56and the lack of any political progress leads to entrenchment of the occupation.

01:03Yes, there are armed groups, whether it's the Lion Dance or the, you know, the Jenin Brigades and others,

01:10but it derives from the lack of any progress on the political front, any hope of political solution in the near future,

01:20which people living under occupation, there is different elements of resistance there.

01:27And then the military is, it's not only the military, but also the government,

01:33not only one way to address it, it's the only one modus operandi of using force.

01:37Yeah, because the IDF says it's targeting Palestinian armed groups,

01:42but local officials are describing this as a political rather than a security operation.

01:47Would you agree with that view?

01:50I think it's a combination between the two.

01:53On the one hand, it's counter-militancy operation.

01:56There are militants, there are armed groups in these places,

01:59and the army is trying to, you know, whether they arrest them,

02:05or in the case of resistance, we saw also that a few, a number of militants have been killed.

02:12But at the same time, the message is a very oppressive message to the population.

02:17If you won't do that, and this is the leaflets that they're actually disseminated today and already yesterday,

02:26that if you won't do that, your life is going to be very difficult.

02:30So there is a common story.

02:32One is trying to fight with the militant groups,

02:35but on the other hand, there is a strong element there of collective punishment of the population there.

02:44Now, mind you, this is at the time that terrorism by settlers has gotten worse and worse over the last months with complete impunity.

02:56And why is there such impunity?

02:59How many settlers are actually within the ranks of the Israeli military itself?

03:04And is that playing a role here?

03:06I think it would be fair to say that most settlers are not involved in this kind of violence.

03:14But there is a hard call there among the settlers, the most extreme,

03:19that this is the way, the only way they know.

03:22What they try to do is send a message to the local population, the Palestinians there,

03:28that they are unwanted in their own homes.

03:31Those are people that think that the entire West Bank,

03:36some of them also think Gaza should be annexed to Israel.

03:39And at best, they will tolerate the Palestinians.

03:43Some of them would like to expel them.

03:45But the problem is you have the most right-wing government in Israel,

03:50in which Netanyahu is dependent on the messianic religious nationalist in government

03:58because of his corruption trial.

04:00And this is what has dictated the policies of this government over the last three years,

04:07whether when it comes to attack on the democracy in Israel,

04:11the way that the war in Gaza was conducted,

04:14and the kind of what we see, the kind of pictures that we just see

04:18of what's happening in the West Bank.

04:20And do you see evidence that this rising violence, this upsurge in attacks,

04:25is it testing relations in any way between the Israeli military

04:28and its political establishment?

04:30I think we saw already tension between the military establishment

04:36and the government over the decision to enter into Gaza City,

04:41and the Chief of Staff was very clear that he was against it.

04:44We see intervention by the Defense Minister

04:48when the Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir,

04:53tried to make some changes within the government,

04:56including in personnel as a result of conclusion of what happened in October 7, two years ago.

05:03So this is the government that doesn't recognise whether the relations,

05:08military, civil-military relations, the way they were,

05:12or with the judiciary, with the legislative.

05:15It's becoming a more autocratic government,

05:19and the result of it is create also very difficult lines of operation

05:25between the executive, but also whether it's the police or the military.

05:31And given that these Israeli settlers are backed by those hard-ride elements

05:37in Netanyahu's government, is it more or less inevitable at this stage,

05:41do you think, that we're heading for some kind of dangerous confrontation here?

05:44We are already in a very dangerous confrontation.

05:49You know, they try to interfere violently with, you know,

05:52this is the season of the olive harvest,

05:57attacking communities, Palestinian community,

06:00while they're harvesting their olives,

06:02which is a major source of income,

06:05completely unprovoked, beating up innocent civilians.

06:11This is the situation,

06:12and unfortunately, instead of the Israeli security forces

06:17protecting the victims,

06:20they tend to actually protect the victimiser.

06:25And this has been going for way too long.

06:28And I'm afraid, unless there is, you know,

06:31a very clear voice from the international community

06:33under this government, we won't see any difference.

06:37Yeah, because Hamas as well today

06:38calling on the international community to intervene.

06:41Why is the world simply turning away

06:43from what's happening in the West Bank, you see?

06:47I think this is a very good question

06:49that we should ask governments around the world,

06:52you know, whether it's in Europe, the United States,

06:55why there is not, I mean,

06:57when we see the kind of, can identify the settlers,

07:00why there is no demand from the Israeli government

07:04first to stop it,

07:06B, to charge these violent settlers,

07:10probably even to remove them from the West Bank.

07:14And this should be, every time there's such an incident,

07:17I think, responsible elements of the international community,

07:22especially those who have close relations with Israel,

07:24should demand it.

07:26I mean, I think also for it's for the rest of the settlers

07:30that are not involved with them,

07:31because they're also paying their own reputation

07:34and the ability in the future of Israels and Palestinians

07:38to live together and coexist peacefully.

07:42And do you think that this upsurge in violence,

07:45it's likely to have an impact on efforts

07:46to move to the second phase of the ceasefire in Gaza?

07:50I think it makes it way more difficult.

07:54You know, as it is, moving to the second phase

07:57is extremely difficult,

08:00because that's where I think both sides

08:02are going to be tested,

08:04you know, about their true intention.

08:07Whether Hamas is ready to disarm,

08:10whether Israel is ready eventually

08:11to completely withdraw from Gaza,

08:16allowing, building a new governing body,

08:20a body led by Palestinians there,

08:24and so on and so forth.

08:25While this is happening,

08:28while there is ongoing violence,

08:30when you need to build trust,

08:31this is actually, make it even worse

08:34in the ability to build confidence,

08:36to build trust between the sides,

08:38and with that, the readiness to make concession.

08:42In all of that, we forget the role

08:44of the Palestinian Authority,

08:46the security, the Palestinian security,

08:48which has completely been sidelined

08:51by the IDF in order to do

08:54what we have seen today

08:56and, you know,

08:58throughout this year

08:59in different parts of the West Bank.

09:01And Yossi, what do you think

09:03is the ultimate goal here

09:04of the Israeli government?

09:06Is it effectively trying to take

09:07complete control of the already

09:09occupied West Bank?

09:10So, it depends what part of the government.

09:14Also, from the military point of view,

09:17you know, they try to reduce

09:19the danger from our groups.

09:22Within the government,

09:24for Netanyahu,

09:25it's mainly to survive in power

09:26and reach some of the point

09:28that their new election

09:29and still stays as prime minister.

09:32As for the far right,

09:34they would like to see more of this.

09:36They thrive on the clash

09:38between Israel and Palestine.

09:40They thrive on continuing

09:42the conflict and violence

09:44to, at one point or another,

09:46justify why there is no place

09:49for a two-state solution,

09:50but only the use of force

09:52and annexing the West Bank.

09:54And this is something

09:56that we have seen over the years.

09:58And exactly,

09:59this goes back to the point,

10:01as long as this government in Israel,

10:03there is no chance

10:05to move from this kind of formula

10:08of using only force

10:10without any strategy

10:12or diplomatic horizon.

10:15Yossi, we'll have to leave it there for now.

10:16Thanks so much

10:16for being with us this evening.

10:18That's Yossi Mekkelberg,

10:19Senior Consulting Fellow

10:20at Chatham House.

10:22Well, that's it from us for now.

10:24Stay with us, though,

10:24for more world news

10:25here on France 24.

10:26Bye.

Netanyahu Government Relies Solely on Force, no clear strategy or diplomatic vision

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