Israel, what will Bennett do against Hamas?
Israel's new prime minister, Naftali Bennet, is immediately under the test of a possible escalation of Hamas. Anna Mahjar-Barducci's analysis for Atlantico Quotidiano
Right-wing leader Naftali Bennett is Israel's new prime minister. On Sunday evening, the new government moved to the Knesset with 60 votes in favor and 59 against. Bibi Netanyahu's "reign" is therefore over after 12 years, but here in Israel there is no time to think about the political legacy left by the now former prime minister.
Hamas threats continue, clashes increase daily in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, and the forests around Jerusalem burn every day for malicious reasons (probably caused by Hamas sympathizers). The new government is therefore already at work and safety in the country is the priority.
In fact, Bennett is already preparing to counter an escalation this Tuesday. After saying that the "flag march" had been canceled, the police then decided last week to allow settlers and far-right groups to organize the demonstration on June 15. Many think that this is a "poisoned gift" from Netanyahu to Bennett, who now cannot stop a march launched right from his electoral base and may have to prepare for a new war, which would create problems in the government coalition with the deputies Arabs and left-wing parties.
The media reported that the march will pass through Bab Al Amoud, the gate leading to the Muslim quarter, and then arrive at the Kotel (Wailing Wall). Hamas, which had remained silent over the weekend, on Monday said it would respond to the march with missiles, which could be launched towards central Israel (Tel Aviv or Jerusalem). The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Hamas has already warned the Egyptian intelligence chief, Abbas Kamel, that the movement's response to the march will be the same as last month (on May 10, during the march of the flags, Hamas launched various missiles over Jerusalem).
"With the intensification of the presence of [Israeli] warplanes and reconnaissance aircraft in the skies of the Gaza Strip in the past two days, the Palestinian resistance has increased the level of alert, and instructions have been given to missile units to prepare for the action. Contrary to evaluations by the Israeli occupation, according to which the resistance will respond by launching fireballs or some missiles in the area adjacent to Gaza, [a Hamas member] revealed that the resistance's response will be studied and parallel to the march of extremists in Jerusalem " .
Last Thursday, Hamas had launched a warning missile towards the Mediterranean and, again on the same day, the terrorist movement had again threatened Israel to break the truce, if the Qatari funding did not enter Gaza directly as soon as possible. However, Israel has not yielded and does not want to yield on this point. Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen also recently admitted in an interview that he made a miscalculation in the past in letting Qatari funding into Gaza. In fact, in 2020, Israeli newspapers reported that Netanyahu had sent Cohen to "beg" Qatar to continue sending funding directly to Gaza. "With the approval of Israel, Qatar has since 2018 periodically provided millions of dollars in cash to Hamas to pay the costs of the power plant in the Strip, to pay salaries to its civil servants and to provide aid to tens of thousands of families. poor. Israel reportedly did so in exchange for Hamas' guarantee to continue to remain calm in the south of the country, ”the Times of Israel reported.
After the "eleven days" war, public opinion in the country strongly criticized the role of Qatar – which hosts among other things the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and the former head of the political office of the movement, Khaled Mashal – and now, with the new government led by Bennett, Israel has no plans to let in funding from Doha so easily, especially as Hamas continues to demand thousands of prisoners in exchange for the four Israeli hostages in Gaza (two alive and two dead). ). Meanwhile, relations between Israel and Qatar also appear to be deteriorating. Last week, on June 8, Israeli media reported that a delegation had departed from Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport to Doha to discuss funding in Gaza. However, the plane had to land in Amman, suggesting that Qatar refused to let the plane arrive in Doha.
The voltage therefore remains high. The Israeli military said on Sunday morning that the situation could deteriorate at any moment. The media also reported yesterday that the missile defense system, Iron Dome , is ready for action. Should Hamas attack, this will be the test Bennett will have to pass to prove he can defend the nation from terrorism. Before the Knesset vote of confidence, Bennet said he was also ready to launch a ground military intervention. Meanwhile, on Monday morning, the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the first comment on the Bennett government: “A government was formed without Netanyahu, but it is not accurate to call it 'government of change', unless change is not. intended only as the elimination of Netanyahu. For the rest, as far as the country's policies are concerned, nothing has changed ”.
However, something has already changed and not only because the coalition is also supported by an Arab party, United Arab List , led by Mansour Abbas. The country woke up yesterday without the orthodox parties in power, which had supported Netanyahu over the years. The new government has also put an end to the influence of the Shas , which represents the Sephardi Orthodox, and of Yahadut HaTorah , who represents the Ashkenazi Orthodox, who until now have had the authority to determine who was Jewish and who was not. making it difficult for Jewish immigration to the country, especially from Russia. The media also say that the new government could finally introduce civil marriage, a reform that has long been requested by the population, which would reconfirm Israel as the only democracy in the Middle East.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/mondo/israele-rapporti-naftali-bennet-hamas/ on Sat, 19 Jun 2021 06:00:41 +0000.