The Israeli government, which has been weighing a ground war targeting the Palestinian armed political faction Hamas, is engulfed in internal conflict. There are clear signs of division, with differences in positions being exposed over whether to launch a ground war, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right alliance holding the cabinet responsible for failing to stop Hamas. A war cabinet was formed for the purpose of ‘elimination of Hamas’, but the government was engulfed in divisions in public opinion even before the ground war began.
Israel has been preparing for a ground war in response to Hamas’ surprise attack on the 7th. Recently, the driving force behind the ground war has weakened sharply, and this is not unrelated to the division of the war cabinet, Arab media outlets such as Al Jazeera reported on the 25th (local time). Prime Minister Netanyahu formed a wartime emergency unity government with opposition parties, including the National United Party, on the 11th.
There are differences of opinion between the military and non-military factions regarding the timing of the start of the ground war굿모닝토토 도메인. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s side believes that the Israeli military ( IDF ) is insufficiently prepared to immediately conduct a ground war. Recently, the British Financial Times reported, “ The IDF , which has been conducting missions in the West Bank for several years, needs time to receive training and complete equipment supply.” On the other hand , the IDF said it was ready for a ground war and was “waiting for instructions.”
Foreign media’s assessment is that this is not unrelated to the ‘bad relationship’ between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The Economist, a British current affairs weekly, said, “As distrust between the two men grows, even war plans are being disrupted.” Minister Gallant publicly rebelled against Prime Minister Netanyahu’s attempt to neutralize the judiciary in March, and Prime Minister Netanyahu dismissed him and then withdrew.
Hardliners are pushing Prime Minister Netanyahu. His far-right ally and extreme nationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben Grieve called for an expansion of the war cabinet, saying, “Prime Minister Netanyahu and others failed to identify signs of a surprise attack by Hamas.” Previously, he criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu, saying, “He agreed to the United States’ request to provide humanitarian support to the Gaza Strip without even attaching any conditions for the release of hostages.”
Even public trust in the Israeli government has plummeted. According to the Israel Democracy Institute, trust in the government among Jewish Israelis was only 20.5%, the lowest in 20 years. The Israeli media outlet Times of Israel pointed out that “even the war cabinet created as a result of the war has never functioned properly to resolve this situation.”
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