Sixteen months after the October 7 massacre, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ended his official visit to Washington.
Israeli leaders – who spent years in actively strengthening Hamas’s rule in Gaza and imposed a deep responsibility for the worst catastrophe in modern Jewish history since the Holocaust. The second term and while the immediate impact of the visit on key issues, the ceasefire and ceasefire agreement, Iran’s nuclear threat and Israeli military aid to Israel are yet to be seen, is already clear. Mr Trump has given Mr Netanyahu an invaluable gift: increasing his government to the lifeline.
In the days to reach the tour, the Israelis considered imaginary, and the right feared that US President Netanyahu would force Mr. Netanyahu to commit the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, for which the end of the war ended. Will need to be announced. . Others speculated that Mr Trump could even push the Prime Minister even to pushing his consent on the possibility of the Palestinian state so that the president’s long -standing purpose to attack Saudi Arabia’s routine agreement with Saudi Arabia. Move forward.
Instead, Mr Trump presented a plan in which Mr Netanyahu would not have dared to suggest: mass transfer of Palestinians from Gaza, then the United States took power and that Made the area “in the Middle East” Riviera. “The assistants later tried to soften some proposal, but Mr Trump has doubled the overall project.
Presenting an idea with Israeli targets very closely, the president presented two political problems for Mr Netanyahu. The first was that the proposal was enthusiastically welcomed by two far -right politicians who were threatening to abolish Mr Netanyahu’s coalition government: Finance Minister Bezel Smithrich, who insisted that Israel had in Gaza. If he ends this war, they will end this war on its terms. It does not agree, and Atamar Ben-Jever, who last month resigned from the National Security Minister to protest the ceasefire agreement-and is now laying the basis for joining the government.
During a news conference after a meeting in Washington, Mr Trump also indicated that he would decide whether he would support Israel’s affiliation with Israel’s West Bank within four weeks – right in front of him What can be another gift for? Visitor
Mr Netanyahu is also under pressure to approve the budget by the end of March. The failure to meet this deadline will indicate a new election, based on the recent polling, is unlikely to win. Here too, Mr. Trump’s proposal promotes Mr Netanyahu. It was immediately popular among the Israelis, receiving 72 % support In the polling after the announcement of the trauma. It’s not surprising. The attraction of a US -backed project that will eliminate Hamas from Gaza, which will clearly eliminate Israeli security concerns about the Palestinian territory, it is enough for a traumatic population that has ended by war. And it has moved significantly to the right.
The uproar over Mr Trump’s vision for Mr Trump’s future is a shadow on the hostage and a more important issue of a ceasefire agreement, which is now halfway in its first phase. It is believed that the second phase will see the full withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza and the exchange of the remaining hostages, which will certainly certainly have a number of Palestinian prisoners, including many advanced militants. Yes. Moving at this stage will mean effectively to end the war – and the return of a very right by Mr. Netanyahu’s government.
Mr Netanyahu has allegedly called for an extension of Phase 1. Since buying time, some more hostages can be removed and some of the distress from the Palestinian can be reduced, which are the main achievements themselves. However, without the real end of the war, Hamas will probably never release all hostages, including the Americans, and there will be no end to war and suffering.
Mr Trump has bought Mr. Netanyahu’s time. The Prime Minister may now be able to stop the pressure from the partners of his right -wing allies to resume the war so that Mr Trump’s plan will help Israel not only resolve the Hamas problem, but also the Palestinian issue. Will solve it completely, and it will be jeopardized. The opportunity to create a generation with a large operation can be worse.
The project can contradict Hamas a lifeline and strengthen its grip on Gaza. The permanent transfer of the Gaza population – although unbearable – not only relieves pressure on Israel with a viable vision for this region, but also puts at stake about whether Gaza itself is Palestinian. This will give time and space to rebuild Hamas, strengthening its image as a protector of Palestinians, and re -controlling its facts on the area will be re -born. In this scenario, another war is definitely sure, with 16 months of bloodshed.
Transforming Gaza into a “Middle East’s Rowera” is not a serious plan. This is politically inaccessible, with dozens of countries and Arab states being rejected. Who will pay for it? Who will perform it? Which countries will take Palestinians? And most importantly, do Palestinians want to leave?
However, this is an opportunity to present a unanimous and practical counter -competition for Palestinians and Arab leaders who appeal to Mr Trump’s goals while weakening Hamas, offering dignity to Palestinians and providing sustainable security to Israel. Yes. Mr Trump’s foreign policy aims to be dynamic and hazardous, and is sure to make further changes in the coming weeks. Those who oppose the vision of the president for Gaza should have the opportunity to win a different person who can help achieve their goals: bring back the hostages and end the wars. The expected emergency Arab summit in Egypt on February 27 is an opportunity to make such a proposal.
Israel, on its own, should be careful to fall into unrealistic concepts, even if they come from an American president. Israeli history is full of catastrophic consequences of doing so in the 1980s, with a failed attempt to change the government in Lebanon. 7 believe that Hamas was prevented from military action. Mr Netanyahu is an expert politician whose government may be in the strongest position after the Hamas invasion of the crisis after a month of crisis.
But Israel’s enemies have been harmed, not dead, and the government alliance faces internal springs on both domestic affairs, and the rest of the hostages face the destiny of the hostages and the destiny of the ceasefire. The outward appearance of the release of the three latest hostages on Saturday and the unbearable scene was further evidence of the hurry to bring them home. Moreover, just talking about the removal of Palestinians from Gaza has created anger among Israel’s Arab partners, and tensions are in danger of getting worse in the West Bank.
Any great vision for Mr. Netanyahu must recognize the limits of morality and morality, and remember it is not a dispute that has been resolved by money or simply because powerful countries say so Should Otherwise, Israel will waste critical time in the dream palace, which will only remove real progress.
Shera Efron is a senior fellow and research director of the Dian and Galford Glazer Foundation at the Israeli Policy Forum. Earlier, he led the Israeli program at the Rand Corporation and was a UN adviser to Jerusalem on access to Gaza.
Times is determined for publication Diversity of letters The editor we want to hear what you think about it or any of our articles. Here are some Indicator. And here’s our email: Letters@nytimes.com.
Follow the New York Times’ opinion section FacebookFor, for, for,. InstagramFor, for, for,. TicatokFor, for, for,. WhatsAppFor, for, for,. X And Thread.
