No to military rule in Gaza as risks compile: Haaretz

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
19 May 2024 07:27

Israeli Minister of Security Yoav Gallant urges Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reject the establishment of military rule in Gaza due to its severe consequences, including strategic, security, and economic costs.

Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Security Minister Yoav Gallant attend a press conference in Tel Aviv, 'Israel' on October 28, 2023. (AP)

Israeli Minister of Security Yoav Gallant held a press conference yesterday, urging Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to announce that he would not establish military rule in the Gaza Strip and to deeply discuss the issue of the "day after."

According to Haaretz, his words did not come from nowhere, as the establishment of military rule in Gaza is an alternative under consideration by Netanyahu, and it enjoys the support of the far-right.

The newspaper adds that "when Gallant enumerated the dire consequences of establishing Israeli military and civilian rule in the Gaza Strip in his speech, he referred to an actual proposal on Netanyahu's desk to establish temporary military rule as an alternative solution to Hamas," explaining that it is "a document written by Netanyahu's new military secretary, Major General Roman Gofman."

This marks the second time Gallant has taken such a step: warning Netanyahu, with the public as a witness. During the last upheaval in the government, Gallant called for an immediate halt to legislation due to a "clear and immediate" threat to state security, stating that "the threats around us are significant, both near and far."

This time, according to Haaretz, the minister warned of the dangerous and frightening plan that is currently under serious consideration, emphasizing that it is "a bad and dangerous alternative for Israel, strategically, security-wise, and militarily," and that "as a state, we face a multi-faceted security threat with specific resources and Israeli military rule in Gaza will become Israel's primary security effort in the coming years at the expense of other arenas, as well as costing lives, victims, and a high economic price."

Operational cost: $5.4 billion annually

Haaretz revealed that "the operational cost, according to another document drafted by the security and military establishment and published in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, is estimated at 20 billion shekels [$5.4 billion] annually. From a military perspective, there will be a need for four assault teams and a defensive brigade, in addition to economic and military calculations. There is also the matter of political costs, which are immeasurable."

The newspaper stated in its editorial that "this obsessive idea must be eradicated in its infancy, and we must not forget that behind every security debate in Israel lies a salvation plan for ideological political players, who use security circumstances to achieve regional aspirations: revoking disengagement and returning to Gaza and re-establishing Jewish settlements there."

It also warned that "Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich and their comrades in the far-right want to drag Israel once again under military and civilian control in the Gaza Strip, which has a population of over two million."

In conclusion, it said that "nothing can be expected from the Prime Minister because his political survival outweighs all other considerations, but ministers Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, who share Gallant's concerns, must draw clear lines in the face of this folly," pointing out that "Netanyahu and his salvation partners are deteriorating Israel from disaster to disaster, and the only goal today is to bring down the government and go to elections."