Ending Gaza war is the right choice for 'Israel': Ex-Israeli general

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
23 Oct 2024 11:48
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Former IOF Major General Giora Eiland details four reasons why "Israel" must end the war on Gaza, triggered by societal to economic phenomena that have taken a toll on the occupation.

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Israeli soldiers carry the flagged-covered coffin of Israeli Druze Colonel, Monday, October 21, 2024, killed during Israel's ground operation in the Gaza Strip. (AP)

Giora Eiland, a retired major general of the Israeli occupation forces and the former head of the Israeli National Security Council, suggested that the correct decision "Israel" has to make is ending the war on Gaza.

In an op-ed published in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Eiland said that besides the dire need to return all captives from Gaza, there are at least four other reasons to stop the war on the Strip.

Eiland's first reason entails how settler society has grown numb toward soldier deaths. "Israelis' hearts have turned into stone regarding soldier deaths. Before the war, they mourned and cried for several days after every death."

The second reason, according to the former general, is the burden enforced on the Israeli soldiers, whether those in regular service or reserves, which reportedly should be alleviated as much as possible.

The economic burden "Israel" is currently suffering is Eiland's third reason, as every day of fighting costs half a billion shekels, adding that while the main focus is against Lebanon, every shekel spent today is one "Israel" will need tomorrow.

The fourth reason is that the entire world is waiting for the war in Gaza to end, Eiland said, adding that "there's a greater understanding in the world of why Israel is fighting in Lebanon, and even directly against Iran, however, no one understands what we want to achieve in Gaza."

In this context, Eiland emphasized that should the war continue in Gaza for another six months, reality will not change, and only two things are certain, "All the captives will die, and more soldiers will die."

He further explained that the reality in the Strip will not change as long as Hamas continues to have hundreds of fighters who will keep fighting, even if they lack an effective leadership structure.

Accordingly, Eiland believes that in the agreement with Hamas, "Israel" should only demand the return of the captives, with insistence, along with other players, especially the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, that "Israel will only allow the reconstruction of Gaza if it occurs within the framework of a disarmament plan."

He further clarified that it is possible to try to improve the terms of the deal, especially regarding the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released for each living Israeli captive, but "we should not cling to unimportant details, especially the Philadelphia axis."

Based on this, Eiland concluded that the time has come to end the war wherever the costs outweigh the benefits, but "unfortunately, the Israeli government does not follow this logic and does not even hold a discussion aimed at deciding between two options: continuing the war in Gaza until a final victory, or preparing to end the war in Gaza in exchange for the return of all captives."

'Israel', US lose out on major deals due to aggression

As the aggression continues on Gaza, and now on Lebanon, "Israel" finds itself with a lot at stake. Besides the military losses the occupation is suffering, and the excess military budgets it continues adjusting at the expense of investments, major international ties have been severely damaged.

With countries across the globe increasingly boycotting "Israel" by preventing the issuance of visas, breaking economic ties, and more, one major deal takes the cake.

Israeli policies and actions over the past year have prompted a significant shift in regional diplomacy, drawing Saudi Arabia closer to Iran, The New York Times (NYT) reported.

Frustrated by the lack of progress in normalization efforts with the Israeli regime, particularly due to its decisions that effectively block the establishment of a Palestinian state, Riyadh now views the prospect of finalizing a US-sponsored deal as increasingly bleak.

Washington has made serious efforts to promote a normalization deal between Tel Aviv and Riyadh, which it believed would reshape the Middle East. However, its performance during the Israeli war on Gaza has shown Saudi officials that the US holds no sway over "Israel".

Ali Shihabi, a Saudi businessman who is close to the monarchy and sits on the advisory board of Neom project, spoke to NYT, shedding light on Riyadh's positions.

He explained that previous normalization efforts, specifically the so-called "Abrahams Accords," were "cosmetic," however they did not present any substantive enduring peace agreement.

Shihabi underlined that some Arab governments agreed to the deals, as they saw through normalizing relations with "Israel as a path to influence in Washington."

"But now we see that the US has no power or influence over Israel — to a humiliating degree,” he underlined, adding that "the Israelis have no intention to create a Palestinian state."