Netanyahu faces doubts from Israeli military leadership regarding war in Gaza

Nick Schifrin:

What is the significance of this public criticism of the prime minister by the military? And what impact does it have on diplomatic tensions between Netanyahu and the Biden administration?

To get answers, we turn to Laura Blumenfeld, a former senior policy adviser on the U.S. State Department’s Israeli-Palestinian negotiation team and currently a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Laura Blumenfeld, thank you. Welcome to the NewsHour.

What is the significance of this public criticism of the Prime Minister by the military?

Laura Blumenfeld, Senior Fellow, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies: I think it’s very significant.

I think the Israeli military is aware that while it is winning militarily, it is losing morally, and that this has long-term strategic implications for Israel’s security.

This idea of ​​indecision, I think what they are saying to the prime minister is: take a position and defend it. The prime minister cannot be an undecided voter. We need you to support our call for ultra-Orthodox fighters. Our forces are exhausted.

Second, we are looking for a political horizon that we can pursue militarily, and we do not want to occupy Gaza after the war. I remember spending some time with the last military commander of Gaza before the Israeli withdrawal, and he wore the Gaza mask, as I recall.

It was this mixture of dust, sweat and the smell of remorse. We were driving around in a jeep while children were throwing stones at him and he said, “This is the most morally destructive thing for our state and ultimately for our security.”