This has to be one of the biggest scams in Israeli political history: an operation that has been in the planning stages for fifteen years, according to ABC News, and suddenly gets the green light. As a result, the explosion of pagers and possibly radios killed at least thirty-seven people and injured up to three thousand.
But why now and who gave the orders? With the IDF bogged down in Gaza, there is no political advantage to expanding a second front in Lebanon. The IDF is already seriously overstretched and there is no indication of when or if the Gaza operation will end. The Mossad and Shin Bet are already overextended, so provoking Hezbollah to expand the war is not necessarily in Israel's strategic interest. Oddly enough, this operation has diminished rather than enhanced national security.
Again, why now? Well, maybe, just maybe, Netanyahu saw that his coalition was on the verge of permanently disintegrating and needed something to keep the dissident ministers and other coalition members in line. This process certainly does that. It helps keep Bibi in power and minimizes the chances of defeat in the Knesset. In short, the ongoing war keeps Netanyahu in office, which is exactly what he wants.
That is why both Gallant and Netanyahu gave the green light. War on two fronts is not necessarily in Israel's favour, but it is coming. Israelis can once again thank Netanyahu for that. Bibi is now more entrenched than ever, a situation that pleases almost no one, except Netanyahu himself.
No comments:
Post a Comment