Israel’s ‘Scorched Earth’ Strategy
The hope held by many, especially in the West, was that with the beginning of Ramadan in early March, a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas would come into effect. With more than 34,000 dead (mostly civilians) and starvation now a reality, negotiators, meeting first in Paris and then in Doha, hoped to bring relief to Gaza’s population, harried by more than six months of fighting.[1] After the scheduled deadline, the Tel Aviv government, as it had previously threatened, felt empowered to invade the town of Rafah. It was the last patch of the Gaza Strip they had not yet occupied, where more than a million Palestinians were living, having fled from war-torn areas. The goal was to eliminate the last four active Hamas battalions and to take Yanya Sinwar, the mastermind of the terrible attack on the Israelis on October 7, 2023, together with his associates, dead or alive.
Negotiations have continued frantically in Doha, Cairo and Amman, under the aegis of the United States, even in the absence of official representatives: the proposal was for a six-week truce and the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners, in exchange for the release of 40 Israeli hostages. The demands of the two sides were, however, irreconcilable. Hamas demanded a final cease-fire and the withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) from Gaza, thus sparing its leadership, in exchange for the release of the hostages (who would now number about 100). The Israeli government, for its part, opposed a prolonged ceasefire out of fear that the militiamen would regroup.
Ordered by Netanyahu, the IDF’s “scorched earth” strategy – even if aimed at eliminating only Hamas – has resulted in the deaths of an inordinately high number of civilians, and appears to most Western governments and many international observers to be unjustified, disproportionate, harmful and unnecessary. U.S. President Joe Biden, who initially supported the Israeli government’s action against Hamas, told MSNBC on March 10 that “Netanyahu is hurting Israel more than helping Israel.” He went on to say that the Rafah invasion is a “red line” not to be crossed, referring to Netanyahu’s plans to seize the town bordering Egypt.[2] The Israeli leader defended himself by saying he is waging a war in the interest of his country. He went on to say that much of the Israeli population supports the actions being taken against the remaining Hamas battalions.[3]
The real problem for the U.S. administration is that Netanyahu has no real plan for the future of Gaza, that is, how to administer it. For the Israeli leader, the important thing for the time being is to achieve his intended war result, which is to eradicate Hamas, and in this way win himself a place in history and possibly distract Israelis from his unpopular judicial reforms. Iran’s recent attack on Israeli territory has somewhat rehabilitated, in international terms, the figure of Netanyahu, restoring to him some degree of political credibility, if only for a few hours. But everything is still in the making. In any case, defending Israel from a more substantial and serious attack by Iran is one of the priorities of American foreign policy, regardless of Gaza. This article is reserved for paid subscribers. Please subscribe to continue reading this article
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