Waiting for a tie: in Palestine, Israel was accused of undermining the settlement
Israel's actions in Gaza undermine the chances of a peaceful settlement of the conflict. This was stated to Izvestia by the representative of the Fatah movement, Abdel Fattah Al-Dawla. On the morning of August 8, the Israeli Cabinet approved a plan to establish full control and expand operations in the Palestinian exclave. The document provides for preparations for hostilities, and also establishes five principles for ending the war — from the disarmament of Hamas and the return of all hostages to the creation of an alternative administration unrelated to either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority, which governs the West Bank. Britain has already called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to abandon his plans, and Germany has suspended the issuance of permits for the supply of military products to Israel.
Netanyahu insists on the complete defeat of Hamas
Netanyahu's proposal sets out five principles for ending the war: the disarmament of the Palestinian movement, the return of all hostages, the demilitarization of the strip, the control of Israel by security forces, and the creation of an alternative civilian government unrelated to either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.
The discussion of the plan lasted more than ten hours. The IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir spoke out against it, warning that a full-scale occupation of Gaza could endanger the lives of the hostages and deplete the army's resources. According to Axios, Israel plans to evacuate civilians from Gaza City and block the remaining people there.
Despite the objections of the military, Netanyahu insists on the need to completely defeat the movement. "I don't want Hamas to continue to exist. I want to defeat him," he said, adding that the operation must be reversible: if Hamas agrees to Israel's terms, the fighting can be stopped.
Currently, according to the IDF, Israel controls about 75% of the strip's territory, mainly in the north and south.
Hamas has described Israel's new plans to occupy Gaza as a "war crime" and called on the UN to take urgent action. At the same time, the movement expressed its readiness to take steps to reach a ceasefire agreement.
"This plan reflects the persistent desire to continue the war, commit crimes of genocide and forced eviction, and also represents the blatant implementation of a project to invade the strip and undermine any real possibility of a political settlement," Abdel Fattah Al—Dawla, an official representative of the Fatah movement (the dominant party in the Palestinian National Authority), told Izvestia.
According to him, Netanyahu's document was a "direct blow" to the diplomatic efforts of Arab and other states, a demonstrative challenge to the international community demanding an end to hostilities.
"The Fatah movement warns against the dangerous plan imposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is to occupy the Gaza Strip, starting from Gaza City, under the pretext of a "humanitarian evacuation," the Palestinian representative notes.
The alleged role of the United States, which, according to the Palestinian representative, could be used by Israel as a "humanitarian cover" for a military operation, was particularly criticized. Netanyahu's plan provides for the provision of humanitarian aid through an American company through the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation
At the same time, Netanyahu's statement said that Israel does not seek long-term control over Gaza. In the future, the administration of the territory may be transferred to Arab forces that will be able to ensure the security of Israel and decent living conditions for the population of the sector.
Against this background, questions remain open: whether Arab countries are ready to take over the management of Gaza, what security guarantees Israeli forces can provide, and whether it is possible to create a stable civilian administration in the conditions of ongoing hostilities.
According to orientalist Leonid Tsukanov, the "Arab forces" mentioned by Netanyahu may mean Bedouin militias that Israel supplies with weapons and uses to undermine the potential of Hamas. However, this option, due to the weakness of the positions of Israeli proxies, is fraught with a rapid loss of control, he told Izvestia.
In addition, it could be about the military administrations of Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, countries that have signed peace treaties with Israel, the expert added.
— But given the struggle of Arab forces for influence in Gaza, it is problematic to build such a "trio" without allocating a dominant force. And shifting the focus to the UAE (the only country that does not directly border Gaza) is dangerous — it may displease Cairo and Amman," Tsukanov said.
In his opinion, Netanyahu could use the topic of "Arab forces" to distract attention from the fighting in the sector before the new IDF surge and create the impression of an early settlement. An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council in connection with Israel's plans for Gaza is scheduled for the evening of August 9.
Israel's break with the West
On August 5, US President Donald Trump said he would not interfere with the possible plans of the Jewish state to establish control over Gaza. "Otherwise, it largely depends on Israel," he said, adding that his main concern is to "feed the people" in the exclave.
According to NBC, he and Netanyahu recently had a sharp conversation: the Israeli prime minister said that reports of mass starvation in the strip were "unreliable" and "fabricated by Hamas." Trump interrupted him, started shouting, and said he didn't want to hear that hunger was fake, as his aides had presented evidence that children in Gaza were indeed suffering from food shortages. In Netanyahu's office, reports of a conversation in raised tones were called an absolute fake.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called on Netanyahu to abandon the operation to capture Gaza City, calling it a step that "will only bring more blood" and will not help free the Israeli hostages. According to him, tens of thousands of Palestinians died during the conflict, and the territory was on the verge of famine. Starmer stressed that the prospect of creating two states is "disappearing before our eyes."
He also said that Britain would join France in recognizing a Palestinian state by September if Israel did not take "significant steps" to end the war in Gaza. Paris has already announced that it intends to use the September session of the UN General Assembly for formal recognition, and is actively involving other countries in this process. On August 8, the German Chancellor announced that Germany had suspended the issuance of permits for the supply of military goods to Israel.
Statements by European countries about their intention to recognize Palestine are "rather false statements," Leonid Tsukanov is sure.
— As long as the United States remains on Israel's side, the Jewish state has nothing to worry about — Washington is considered its main trading and strategic partner. Although, of course, strengthening the camp of support for Palestine can provide its factions with more stable negotiating positions, provided that they can competently take advantage of this opportunity," he said.
The reconsideration of the views of Israel's Western allies reinforces the fears of the Jewish state that it may find itself in international isolation, despite Washington's support. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in an interview with Politico, called the events a wake-up call: "There is a huge gap between the heinous crimes that Hamas committed against Israelis on October 7 and what we are currently inflicting on the Palestinians. We have become a rogue state."
According to him, Israel is "losing the international support that has always linked it with the strongest and most influential countries in the Western world," and continuing its current course will lead to even greater political and diplomatic loneliness.
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