Comment: Israel has no plan for the period after the war

Israel’s government has neither an idea of ​​how to end the war nor a strategy for what will happen afterwards. The only sensible idea is causing outrage among Netanyahu and his right-wing coalition partners.

Finally, a little sense is appearing within the Israeli government in the midst of the chaos of war. The sensible words come from Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who has military responsibility for combat operations in Gaza. He publicly attacks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling on him to declare that Israel will not administer the disputed coastal strip either civilly or militarily after the war. An alternative Palestinian leadership to Hamas should be promoted with international support, said Gallant.

It is the only sensible idea that an Israeli politician is currently expressing to bring an end, even if only gradually, to the war in Gaza. Nothing is worse than a power vacuum in a war zone like the one that has arisen in northern Gaza. Because that leads to the return of Hamas cells, which regroup there. Now Israel’s troops are back where they had already left. Again people die on both sides.

Veto Gallant’s proposal

Gallant’s idea is not new: it comes from the plan he presented to the Israeli cabinet two months ago. This stipulated that local Palestinian security forces, which have no proximity to Hamas, would take control of Gaza together with the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu vetoed it.

Gallant remained silent – for two long months. For fear of being fired again? As he did last year, when he criticized Netanyahu’s judicial reform. Only through pressure from the public did Gallant get his job back.

Gallant’s renewed attempt shows how great the doubts must be, even in the Ministry of Defense, about continuing the war. Ending combat operations in Gaza is a political decision, the minister blurted out this week.

Netanyahu again does not present a plan

As expected, Gallant’s speech triggered a storm of indignation in the right-wing government: Netanyahu angrily countered with a dubious play on words that he did not want to replace Hamastan with Fatahstan. However, he again did not present a plan for the day after. Which only leaves one conclusion: Benjamin Netanyahu, the man who has been waging war in the Gaza Strip for seven months, has no plan for the day after the war.

Behind this is probably Netanyahu’s fear that he would then have to take responsibility for the government’s failure on October 7th. And the fear of angering the right-wing coalition partners, who openly want Gaza to be repopulated.

The far-right Minister of National Security Ben Gvir called for Gallant’s dismissal. Gallant followed up by calling for Palestinians who did not belong to Hamas to be armed in humanitarian zones. A new storm of indignation is programmed. Only one thing is left behind: a real plan for the day after the war and a strategy for how to end it. Both are lost in the noisy post-war cacophony of the Israeli government.