A Bangkok-based American journalist, political essayist and researcher believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu actively and directly participated in creating and propping up Hamas in the service of its own political machinations.
Ben Bartee wrote in a Substack newsletter dated October 17: "Bibi Netanyahu and his ideological ilk represent more of an existential threat to the continued existence of the Israeli state – and possibly the world if it gets dragged into its geopolitical melodrama – than any foreign adversary ever could hope to. What many casual news consumers might not know, even ones who consider themselves 'informed' – in large part because MSNBC/CIA-funded Washington Post would never tell them – is that Hamas is in no small measure a creation of the Israeli state."
He clarified that his statement does not imply the "creation of the Israeli state" in the figurative, obscure sense of "Israel forced the birth of Hamas-style militancy through its Apartheid policies in the Gaza Strip." But he claims it is actually true. He cited how Netanyahu schemed behind the scenes for years to promote the terrorist group he now publicly denounces. An analysis published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz included: "Effectively, Netanyahu’s entire worldview collapsed over the course of a single day. He was convinced that he could make deals with corrupt Arab tyrants while ignoring the cornerstone of the Arab-Jewish conflict, the Palestinians. His life's work was to turn the ship of state from the course steered by his predecessors, from Yitzhak Rabin to Ehud Olmert, and make the two-state solution impossible. En route to this goal, he found a partner in Hamas."
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The Israeli leader told a meeting of his Likud party's Knesset members in March 2019 that anyone who wants to thwart the establishment of a Palestinian state has to support bolstering Hamas and transferring money to Hamas. "This is part of our strategy to isolate the Palestinians in Gaza from the Palestinians in the West Bank," he reportedly emphasized.
As per Bartee, there is a reason why Netanyahu wanted to keep Hamas alive and well-funded four years ago. "[It] creates permanent instability. Instability, in turn, lends itself to either active war or the constant threat of war, not peace. And war is the health of the Israeli state," the writer pointed out. He added that if peace finally happens in the Middle East, people such as Netanyahu would be jobless. "Netanyahu feeds politically off of endless conflict with Israel’s regional rivals. War breathes life into his otherwise listless and deflated political ideology. What other ideas for governance has this warmonger ever had except more war?" Bartee said. (Related: Netanyahu promises to turn Gaza into "rubble" following Hamas attack – they will pay "unprecedented price.")
Israelis torn between supporting or denouncing Netanyahu administration’s handling of conflict with Hamas
Even before Hamas conducted a bloodbath, Netanyahu’s grip on power was already in peril. The prime minister is still on trial for corruption, which was declared to be on a recess. Moreover, his far-right coalition had faced eight months of widespread protests over a judicial overhaul that critics said was pushing Israel toward autocracy.
Following the horrifying attacks of the Iran-backed militant group that have left more than 1,300 dead in Israel, Israelis have become angrier, this time, over security and intelligence failures, erupting into public confrontations between the citizens and government ministers. "You are responsible! Go home," one Israeli woman shouted through tears at Idit Silman, an Israeli Cabinet minister, as she visited a hospital treating the wounded this week.
Meanwhile, some are wrestling with their own emotions as they hold off in kicking out Netanyahu immediately, wary of provoking more instability at a time when the Israeli public and its military are most vulnerable. Josh Drill, a prominent leader in the protest movement and a former Israeli military officer, spent much of the past year rallying Israelis to rise up against Netanyahu's government, arguing that the state was "barreling towards becoming a dictatorial regime." But lately, Drill said that many of the protest organizations have redirected their focus to collecting food for displaced Israelis and equipment for soldiers called into service.
"Our main objective is to win the war," he said in an interview. But when it comes to Netanyahu's future, he added cryptically: "We understand what needs to happen the day after the war."
In an effort to win his people’s trust and cooperation, Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that he had formed a wartime unity government that includes Benny Gantz, his chief political rival. "The people are united and today its leadership is also united," he said. "We have put aside every other consideration because the fate of our country is at stake."
Read more updates on the ongoing chaos between Israel and Palestine on Chaos.news.
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