The following excerpt is from an article in Haaretz, one of Israel’s most widely-read mainstream newspapers. It was written by Dmitry Shumsky and published on Oct 11, 2023. The piece has been followed almost daily by a series of articles in Haaretz and in other major Israeli publications, making the same or similar points about Netanyahu’s disastrously dangerous policies. A large portion of Israel’s population is far from agreeing with Netanyahu’s inflexible anti-two-state stratagems. In fact many consider him to be the cause of the current disaster that is still mounting in Gaza.
“The deep roots of the feasibility of the murderous assaults by the Islamist nationalists, from the prison that is Gaza, on Israeli citizens, should actually be sought in an earlier period of Benjamin Netanyahu’s time in office as Prime Minister, prior to his criminal trial and his alliance with nationalist Kahanists and the judicial coup back when he was considered ‘level-headed”’ ‘rational” and ‘responsible’
Netanyahu developed and advanced a destructive, warped political doctrine that held that strengthening Hamas at the expense of the Palestinian authority would be good for Israel. The purpose of the doctrine was to perpetuate the rift between Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian authority in the West Bank. This would preserve the diplomatic paralysis and forever remove the ‘danger’ of negotiations with the Palestinians over the partition of Israel into two states on the argument that the Palestinian Authority doesn’t represent all the Palestinians.
Netanyahu’s flawed strategy turned Hamas from a minor terrorist organization into an efficiently full army of highly trained dehumanized stormtroopers. Bloodthirsty killers who mercilessly slaughtered innocent Israeli civilians including women, children, and the elderly. This is solidly documented. Between 2012 and 2018 Netanyahu gave Qatar approval to transfer a cumulative sum of about one billion dollars, half of which went to Hamas including its military wing.
On March 11, 2019, Netanyahu explained the reckless step as follows, ‘The money transfer is part of the strategy to divide the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. Anyone who opposes the establishment of a Palestinian state needs to support the transfer of the money from Qatar to Hamas. That way we will foil the establishment of a Palestinian state.’
On May 15, 2015, Netanyahu associate Major General Gershon Hacohen said in an interview, ‘We need to tell the truth! Netanyahu’s strategy is to prevent the option of two states. So he is turning Hamas into his closest partner. Hamas is an enemy covertly. It’s now also an ally.’”(1)
Below I’ve included a few more titles from Haaretz articles that were all published within the last ten days.
2) “Netanyahu Made Israel Fight for Its Democracy. Now He’s Making It Fight for Its Life”
3) “Ever-cynical Netanyahu Uses Fallen Soldiers in His Campaign for Survival”
4) “Netanyahu Must Go”
5) ” Netanyahu’s Cheap, Depraved Blame Game for the Worst Day in Israel’s History ”
6) “Netanyahu’s Coalition Must Remove Him Immediately”
CITATIONS:
1- https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-11/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-needed-a-strong-hamas/0000018b-1e9f-d47b-a7fb-bfdfd8f30000
2- https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-03/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-made-israel-fight-for-its-democracy-now-hes-making-it-fight-for-its-life/0000018b-92b5-db7e-af9b-fbf797670000
3- https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-27/ty-article/.premium/ever-cynical-netanyahu-uses-fallen-soldiers-in-his-campaign-for-survival/0000018b-6d5c-d90b-a7df-7f5c728a0000
4- https://www.foreignaffairs.com/israel/why-netanyahu-must-go
5- https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-10-30/ty-article/.premium/netanyahus-cheap-depraved-blame-game-for-the-worst-day-in-israels-history/0000018b-80c8-d1da-a1bb-edf81fc20000
6- https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/editorial/2023-10-30/ty-article-opinion/netanyahus-coalition-must-remove-him-immediately/0000018b-7cf1-d0f6-afeb-7ef5b1670000