Israeli war objectives in Gaza under 'enormous strain': The Hill

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Hill
25 Jan 2024 21:54

The Hill says that multiple international and domestic factors are pushing against unrealistic Israeli goals in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli occupation soldiers carry a casket of a reservist killed by the Palestinian Resistance, in occupied al-Quds, occupied Palestine, on January 23, 2024. (AP)

"Israel's" military objectives in the Gaza Strip are under "enormous strain", as international pressure mounts and domestic fissures expand, The Hill revealed in a report published on Thursday.

The US-based newspaper said "Israel" launched its aggression on the Gaza Strip in an attempt at "demilitarizing" the Palestinian Resistance and "deradicalizing Palestinians so they no longer choose violence."

Pointing to the continued and regular ambushes carried out by the Palestinian Resistance against Israeli occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, The Hill underlined that Israeli authorities are far from reaching these objectives, saying that "[the Palestinian Resistance] is far from defeated."

Despite the aforementioned factors, the newspaper said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has "repeatedly doubled down on a military strategy with unclear goals that is expected to last beyond 2024."

Highlighting the unrealistic aspect of the strategy, the report said that the Israeli objectives "are proving elusive."

Former senior CIA officer and senior director for intelligence at the Special Competitive Studies Project, Chip Usher, told The Hill that "Israel" has not come close to fully destroying the Palestinian Resistance, and the "campaign to quash" such ideology is having the opposite effect.

Usher asked, "How long can they (Israelis) sustain [their war on Gaza] before it has a real grinding effect on the Israeli economy and on Israeli politics in the morale of the population?"

Israeli plots cracking under pressure

The newspaper also shed light on the statements made by the prominent member of the Israeli opposition and current member of the Israeli war cabinet, Gadi Eisenkot.

Eisenkot recently told Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 that the "absolute defeat" of the Palestinian Resistance, particularly Hamas, was an absolute "tall tale".

With growing demands that the Israeli government work to release dozens of captives held in the Gaza Strip, as its wide-scale bombing campaigns have proven to endanger their lives, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich lambasted such demands.

He said that securing the release of captives and then "going back to fighting and eliminating Hamas is science fiction."

Smotrich's statements highlight the growing disparity between sections of Israeli decision-makers and sections of Israeli settlers. In fact, The Hill pointed to the recent storming of the Israeli Knesset by the families of Israeli captives, demanding that Netanyahu's war cabinet push for a deal to release their relatives.

South Africa's lawsuit proves effective

South Africa's firm stance against war crimes and genocide perpetrated by "Israel" in the Gaza Strip has proven to effectively mount further pressure on the Israeli war cabinet.

The recently filed case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) saw South Africa press the court for an immediate injunction to halt the Israeli aggression, aiming to put an end to the displacement of Palestinians and facilitate essential humanitarian aid.

The lawsuit triggered global concern, leading to questions being raised regarding the US' "unwavering" support for "Israel".

The potential impact on the United States' international reputation, questioning its commitment to human rights and democracy in light of serious allegations in Gaza, was underlined by Imad Harb, Director of Research and Analysis at the Arab Center.

"The United States is talking about human rights for people everywhere, democracy for people everywhere, safety for people everywhere," he said, as quoted by The Hill. "And how can you go against the judgments of the international court, the highest court in the world? I think there will be repercussions for America’s reputation [and] image in the world."