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27.07.2025
עיתון בין אויבים
A newspaper among enemies
Netanyahu and the Chief of Staff are coordinating to end the war, and to rebuild the IDF in preparation for the new, powerful and violent Middle East that the war's prolongation has created. This week, the two met separately and finalized the moves; government zealots were excluded from the agreements reached
7 reasons why the negotiations with Hamas exploded: Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat, Abbas al-Sayed, Abdullah Barghouti, Ibrahim Hamed, Hassan Salameh, Muhammad Arman.
On June 22, we reported exclusively on Netanyahu's agreement to end the war. The agreement to end the war did not bring the negotiations to an agreement, as there were disputes on the agenda, most of which have since been resolved. Nevertheless, the negotiations exploded at the end of the week, and the Israeli delegation was returned from Doha. It now turns out that the reason for the explosion was the naming of the high-profile prisoners that Hamas is demanding Israel release, all of whom are mass murderers: Marwan Barghouti, Ahmed Saadat, Abbas al-Sayed, Abdullah Barghouti, Ibrahim Hamed, Hassan Salameh, Muhammad Arman. We do not know whether Netanyahu intends to give his consent to the release of mass murderers; but in their conversation, the Chief of Staff made a commitment to the Prime Minister: I promise you that if you decide to release them, we will not let them commit terror again. Our assessment is that Israel will have no choice, for the sake of its preparedness, and for the sake of the vision of building the IDF in preparation for the new violent Middle East that the war gave rise to.
By Meir Journo, our military and security commentator
A new and significant development in the war occurred this week, when Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chief of Staff Zamir met privately. It was clear to both individuals, in our assessment, that cooperation between them was now more necessary than ever: to rescue Israel from the shuffling in Gaza, and to rescue it from attacks in the international arena, and to return the kidnapped and pave the way for the reconstruction of Israeli cities, and especially for the reconstruction of the IDF, its construction, and its preparation for the new Middle East that the war has created: the Turkish axis, which could be joined by Syria, Iran, Egypt, and, if Turkey's efforts are successful, also Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The Chief of Staff's early assessment, which was known to Netanyahu, that the war in Gaza was over and that it should be ended under conditions that would allow the growth of the IDF, the return of the kidnapped, and the disengagement of the army from contact with the civilian arena in Gaza, and distancing itself from a military government, was for the first time fully accepted by Netanyahu. As we have noted before, we do not know whether Netanyahu will not back down again under pressure from the zealots, and therefore the question of whether this week's agreement with the Chief of Staff will hold up is an open question. A month ago, there was a confrontation between the two when Netanyahu, apparently under the influence of the zealots in his government, told the Chief of Staff, "You are subordinate to me and will do everything I tell you to do." Lt. Gen. Zamir replied: "I am subject to the law and the State of Israel." We reported on this confrontation here.
After the withdrawal of the Haredim from his government, Benjamin Netanyahu understands, in our assessment, that the elections are coming, and that he will not be able to go to them, while the war continues, hostages are in the hands of Hamas, and soldiers are being killed, in a manner that occurred after the major maneuvers of the First Lebanon War. In our assessment, due to political developments, and due to the anger now directed at Israel from Western countries, Netanyahu is forced to choose between the zealots in his government and Lt. Gen. Zamir's view that the war should be ended, and the kidnapped returned, the destroyed settlements rebuilt, and most importantly, the IDF built up for the enormous challenges posed by the new Middle East.