Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy is war, war and more war

Netanyahu told reporters that the intense phase of the war in Gaza will “soon” subside and give way to a new phase in which Israel will maintain security control in Gaza and “wear down” the remaining Hamas forces whenever necessary.

He also said Israel would transfer responsibility for civil administration to unnamed Palestinians (but not the Palestinian Authority) supported by regional countries.

At the same time, however, Netanyahu ruled out any path to a Palestinian state and said he would only accept a temporary ceasefire to secure the release of the hostages still held by Hamas. After that, fighting would have to resume.

The Prime Minister’s Office has since apparently backed down from this decision and stated that Israel remains committed to the US-led peace proposal, which aims to bring about a permanent end to hostilities – even if the process is divided into several phases.

Meanwhile, Israel’s Arab neighbors have made it clear that they would only become involved in the post-war Gaza Strip if there was a permanent ceasefire and a roadmap for a Palestinian state.

In other words, the only viable element of Netanyahu’s strategy is the long-term military occupation of Gaza. Given the explosive situation in the West Bank, where hardliners in the Israeli cabinet have defunded the Palestinian Authority and supported Jewish settler activities, the prospects for any kind of settlement are even bleaker.

Most worrying for the fledgling state of Israel is Netanyahu’s announcement that he will redeploy troops released from the Gaza war to Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Israel will fight on multiple fronts if necessary to prevent Hezbollah from firing the rockets and missiles that have led to the evacuation of Israeli towns and villages along the border.