A photo released by the Prime Minister's Office this week reflected in the simplest way possible which government has been steering the country over the past six months. Hint: This is not the government sworn in on December 29. It is true that sometime in late 2022 a full-fledged right-wing government was sworn in, but while it is busy trying to advance legal reform and Dumas matters, a much smaller forum is making the critical decisions about our lives here.
This gap between the elected right-wing government and Netanyahu's government is reflected in the same picture when Netanyahu, Minister Galant, Minister Ron Dermer, National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi and members of the defense establishment gathered in one room to discuss the activity in Jenin.
Defense Minister Yoav Galant after assessing the situation with Prime Minister Netanyahu near the Salem crossing // Photo: Nicole Laskeby/Ministry of Defense
On other occasions, one can see the lion Deri entering and exiting the aquarium at the Prime Minister's Office and understand that it too is in the same small hive. This forum makes decisions on security issues, diplomatic issues, and even directing domestic issues with a slight turnover. From time to time, Eli Cohen and Bezalel Smotrich and alternatively Yariv Levin also enter and leave (according to the issue). Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman criticized Netanyahu's failure to convene the cabinet as required to approve the operation in Jenin, but exposed not only Netanyahu's lack of trust in his cabinet partners in terms of the need to maintain secrecy.
Netanyahu is more comfortable managing government and security affairs than a smaller forum that does not include his faction partners, let alone his government partners, including the ministers of Torah Judaism and Otzma Yehudit. In Golda's days it was called "The Kitchenette", in Ariel Sharon's days it was the "Farm Forum" and in Netanyahu's previous days it was the "Forum of the Seven" which expanded to the eighth. Today this is the real Netanyahu government, Netanyahu's aquarium: Dermer his confidant, Deri his confidant, Hanegbi and alternating partners like Galant-Levin-Cohen-Smotrich.
National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi. Member of the aquarium, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
It seems that Netanyahu has fallen in love with the current government with the limited line of action: no longer entanglement in large-scale operations, but limited operations against a distinct enemy whose time is limited in advance. At first, Netanyahu acted this way vis-à-vis Islamic Jihad in Gaza. For the first time, the political echelon detached Hamas from responsibility for what was happening in the Gaza Strip and thus avoided dragging it into retaliatory actions and expanding the operation, the Israeli achievement was recorded and the price was minimal. This week, Netanyahu and the security echelon activated the IDF in the same manner in Jenin.
Don't say deal
Without getting involved with a multi-front event, with limited and focused goals and without calling it an "operation". Two days of activity and the forces evacuated the area. Thus, the base is satisfied, Israel is not presenting a weak front in the face of the increased export of terrorism from Judea and Samaria over the past year, and in a short time and without complications it is possible to declare success and return to normal. As the famous saying goes about Hezbollah's modus operandi: "Strike the enemy but don't take him out of his hands." Netanyahu does not want to decide the battle, but rather to create a series of small victories that he can maneuver without getting caught up in a war or an ongoing operation.
Hundreds of destroyed houses, IDF in the streets of Jenin, photo: AP
The conclusion is that in light of the tactical successes, Netanyahu can do the same to evacuate Hezbollah's tents in the north. To initiate daring action by commandos, restore national honor and some of the eroding deterrence. Would such an activity have been carried out a month ago? Not sure at all, will it now be more convenient for him to act when the conditions are ripe? One can assume that it does.
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us