'Bitter truth' is 'Israel' near 'strategic defeat': Ex-Israeli MK

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Maariv
1 Jun 2024 15:46
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An Israeli political veteran says the government and the Israeli army are selling the public illusions of an "absolute victory" in Gaza, while it is clear to everyone that none of the war objectives were achieved.

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Israeli occupation soldiers assisting in directing an armored personnel vehicle damaged by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza in May 2024 (AFP)

In its war on Gaza, "Israel" is one step away from a "strategic defeat" in fighting its "weakest enemy" Hamas, while the government continues to sell the public lies of "absolute victory," an op-ed in Israeli newspaper Maariv concluded on Friday.

In his piece, Haim Ramon, a former Knesset member who served for over 30 years, said that the War Cabinet and Israeli General Staff "have been misleading the public" since the war began, but now it is time to "reveal the bitter truth" as war cabinet members blame each other for the "strategic defeat" in the war.

Ramon claimed that despite inflicting significant losses and damage on Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, it is "clear to everyone that the war objectives were not achieved."

He mentioned what Tzachi Hanegbi, the national security adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said so earlier this week, where he admitted that none of the "strategic goals of the war were achieved".

"No conditions for the hostage deal, we did not [eliminate] Hamas, and we did not allow the residents of the [Gaza envelope] to return home safely," Hanegbi listed then.

The writer also pointed out that the war cabinet and the army leadership have "no operational plan for how to achieve these goals in the foreseeable future."

"Despite the damage to its power, Hamas is still on its feet. In every area of the Gaza Strip from which the IDF withdrew, Hamas succeeded in reestablishing its military [presence]," he added.

"Most of the abductees are still in the Gaza Strip, and the argument that military pressure will lead to their release turned out to be false. Tens of thousands of Israelis are afraid to return to their homes in southern [occupied Palestine] and the north [due to Hezbollah's operations], and Israel's situation on the international [arena] has deteriorated even further."

'Brink of a strategic defeat'

The ope-ed pointed out the Israeli occupation army withdrew from Jabalia in northern Gaza after claiming it had taken control of the city. "But in the second raid into Jabalia, [Israeli] forces were surprised by the number of Hamas fighters who remained there and the extent of firepower" they still possessed.

It noted that, again, after this round of incursion, the Israeli occupation army will withdraw, while reports will claim that the Resistance's battalion in Jabalia "has been defeated .. and we will again be surprised by the strength of the battalion when we return to Jabalia next time."

The Resistance in Gaza has increased its rocket strikes against Israeli settlements in the past weeks, after months of rare - if any - launches. The rockets not only targeted envelope settlements but also Tel Aviv. However, what was significant about the operations was that the rockets were launched from areas either Israeli forces withdrew from after claiming to dismantle Resistance battalions, or areas where occupation forces were still operating - including in northern Gaza.

"From the [settlers] point of view, Hamas has almost complete control over the Strip," Ramon said.

"The War Cabinet and the General Staff failed miserably in achieving the goals of the war, and now we are on the brink of a strategic defeat. Although the failure of the war is already clear to everyone, the IDF continues the failed strategy of attacking and then retreating and not making any attempt to" occupy areas in Gaza, he explained.

Piling up 'mega-failures'

The author criticized the media and military commentators, who, according to him, continued to slander the occupation army and war cabinet members affiliated with it, meanwhile, they "hide from the public the truth about the failure of the army, which during eight months of fighting was unable to subdue the weakest of the enemies of the State of Israel [Resistance in Gaza]."

Ramon mocked statements suggesting that the "limited operation" in Rafah will be the "decisive point in the war" as Netanyahu and top Israeli military officials claim.

"From the list of failures above, it appears that Israel is suffering from an unprecedented strategic defeat," he said. Meanwhile, "the senior political and military leaders continue to feed the public with illusions as if the limited operation in Rafah will be the decisive point in the war."

Even if the occupation army "inflicted heavy losses" on al-Qassam's four battalions in the city, "how will that change the overall state of the war?". If thousands of martyred Resistance fighters did not lead to the defeat of Hamas, "then another thousand .. will achieve this goal?

"After the War Cabinet and the Chief of Staff have made all possible mistakes in this war, they are determined to continue making more of them," he said.

"The refusal of the War Cabinet members and the Chief of Staff to admit that the mega-failure of the strategic defeat in the war was added to the mega-failure of October 7," leads them to "sell the public [the illusion] that we are one step away from 'absolute victory' while we are one step away from strategic defeat."

Top US and Israeli officials had earlier ruled out an occupation of Gaza as part of "day after" plans due to its political and legal price, its massive operation costs, in addition to the insufficient Israeli manpower and military vehicles to maintain control of Gaza, while also handling the front with Hezbollah in the north - which according to specialists and analysts has become a far greater threat to post-war plans than the Strip. Additionally, establishing a multi-national force, including from Arab countries, to send to Gaza was deemed to be an unattainable plan.

However, finally, Ramon suggested that, either the Israeli army bring back the captives, "the living and the dead," or "we occupy the entire Strip with broad international legitimacy and we can achieve the main goal of the war - the overthrow of Hamas rule and the destruction of its military capability."