"One Short Statement Reveals: Netanyahu Still Accepts Hamas as Gaza's Governing Power" Amir Tibon. Haaretz. Key Points

Amir Tibon.

Key Points from Amir Tibon’s Haaretz Article

1. Netanyahu’s Contradiction on Hamas

Despite Netanyahu's repeated promises to destroy Hamas, recent events suggest a tacit acceptance of the group's governing role in Gaza.

His latest statement following a chaotic hostage release reinforced Hamas’s authority rather than undermining it.

2. Hamas Ensured Hostage Safety, Not Israel

The hostage release process turned chaotic when a mob of Gazan civilians surrounded the captives.

Instead of Israeli forces ensuring their safety, Hamas militants intervened and protected the hostages.

This undermines Israel’s claim that it is eliminating Hamas’s operational control in Gaza.

3. Netanyahu’s Statement Recognized Hamas’s Role

Instead of downplaying Hamas's role or focusing on Israel's efforts, Netanyahu’s statement implicitly acknowledged Hamas as the governing power in Gaza.

His words suggested that, despite the war, Hamas still has the ability to enforce order and make crucial decisions.

4. Reinforcing Hamas’s Power Instead of Dismantling It

Netanyahu's approach, instead of weakening Hamas, seems to have reinforced its legitimacy.

Hamas remains the central player in negotiating hostage deals and maintaining order in Gaza, even under heavy Israeli military pressure.

This raises questions about Israel’s actual strategy in Gaza—whether it is truly eliminating Hamas or simply managing the conflict.

5. Political and Strategic Implications

This incident may further damage Netanyahu’s credibility, both domestically and internationally.

If Israel cannot prevent Hamas from controlling key aspects of Gaza’s governance, Netanyahu’s war objectives may appear unachievable.

Critics might argue that Netanyahu is prioritizing his political survival over genuine efforts to dismantle Hamas.

This analysis suggests that Israel's strategy in Gaza is facing serious contradictions—militarily trying to defeat Hamas while politically engaging with it, even if indirectly.

Comments

The End of Zionism? Welcome to the Funeral Nobody Wants to Admit Is Overdue

Of course. Haaretz recently published an opinion piece by Ithamar Handelman -Smith titled “ Some Say It’s the End of Zionism, and I Say That’s All Right .” And what impeccable timing: as Israel carries out a near-two-year campaign of siege, famine, and bombardment in Gaza — slaughtering families, burying aid workers with their ambulances, and literally starving children to death — someone in Israel finally whispers the unspeakable: maybe Zionism, that 20th-century project of “ Jewish salvation ,” has outlived its moral shelf life. Bravo. The house is burning, bodies are scattered in the street, and the philosopher shows up with a garden hose . Zionism: Success Story or Crime Scene? Handelman-Smith argues that Zionism achieved its success : a Jewish state, a safe haven, a fortress against the ghosts of Europe’s crimes . But like every “ success story ” drenched in other people’s blood , it didn’t age well. What began as refuge turned into domination; what was called “ ...

God’s Favorite Real Estate Agents: Smotrich, Ben Gvir, and the Holy Land Realty Circus

Forget Wall Street. Forget Silicon Valley. The hottest property market today is Occupied Palestine , where homes are not sold with contracts but sanctified with bulldozers, blessings, and bullets. The chief brokers are well known: Bezalel Smotrich , Israel’s Finance Minister, and Itamar Ben Gvir , its National Security Minister. Smotrich doesn’t bother with diplomacy anymore. He boasts that 3,400 new settlement units will “ bury” Palestinian statehood . That’s not zoning — that’s divine grave-digging . Ben Gvir, meanwhile, provides the “ Home Security Package ,” arming settlers like crusader knights on hilltop fortresses and declaring it holy work . All of this would be bad enough if it were just Israeli extremists playing God’s real estate agents . But then came the shocker — the endorsement from the world’s highest court. Enter Judge Julia Sebutinde : a Ugandan jurist, the first African woman to sit on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) , today its Vice-President ,...

Gaza’s Famine: The World Watches Starvation as a Weapon of War

By Vivian Yee, The New York Times (Aug. 22, 2025) — Reflections and Analysis It is now official: Gaza City and its surrounding areas are in famine. Not “at risk of famine.” Not “approaching famine.” But famine itself — starvation, acute malnutrition, and death. At least half a million people in Gaza Governorate are enduring th e most extreme conditions that the world’s top hunger monitoring group — the U.N.-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (I.P.C.) — measures. With rare exceptions, the other two million residents of Gaza are also suffering severe hunger. The report is unambiguous: famine in Gaza is entirely man-made . It is not drought. It is not nature. It is the direct result of Israel’s blockade of food and aid, relentless bombardment, and the collapse of healthcare, water, and agriculture. “ The time for debate and hesitation has passed. Starvation is present and is rapidly spreading.” — I.P.C. Report By September, famine is expected to engul...

Docu Drama. The voice of Hind Rajab.

The Red Phone Rings, but the World Hits Mute The world just gave a 23-minute standing ovation —yes, twenty-three full minutes of clapping —for The Voice of Hind Rajab at the Venice Film Festival . Applause so long it could’ve filled Hind’s final desperate phone call to the Red Crescent. Bravo, humanity. We couldn’t save her when it mattered, but at least we can applaud her ghost. This is the new morality play: a five-year-old Palestinian child, trapped in a bullet-riddled car , whispering “please come, I’m scared ,” while surrounded by the corpses of her family. The Red Crescent tried . Paramedics drove toward her and were killed too . Israel buried them in silence . And the “ civilized world ”? It buried her in its news cycle . But now—don’t worry— we have a movie . Starring Hind’s voice. Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania. Produced by an ensemble of Hollywood conscience-bearers : Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Alfonso Cuarón, Jonathan Glazer, Jemima Khan , and others. ...

E-1: The 12 Kilometers That Could Bury a Palestinian State

Yesterday’s announcement was not just another bureaucratic step —it was a political earthquake . Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich confirmed the green light for 3,401 new housing units in the controversial E-1 area , a strip of land linking Ma’ale Adumim to East Jerusalem . This is no ordinary settlement expansion. The E-1 plan is designed to create an unbroken Israeli-built corridor east of Jerusalem — severing the West Bank’s north (Ramallah) from its south (Bethlehem) and cutting East Jerusalem off from its Palestinian hinterland . In Smotrich’s own words, the move will “ bury the idea of a Palestinian state” by establishing facts on the ground . Why E-1 Matters The E-1 zone —roughly 12 square kilometers —has been a red line in every major peace negotiation since the 1990s . Successive Israeli governments held back full development due to heavy pressure from the United States and the European Union . Until now, it contained little more than an Israeli poli...

Ainnbeen

Search This Blog