Genocide in Gaza: Does rise in internal opposition reflect internal rift in official Israeli narrative?

Saba Yemen

4 days ago

Gaza - Saba:
In light of the absurd results of the ongoing war, its failure to recover the prisoners, and the Israeli enemy's military victory over the Palestinian resistance, criticism of the enemy government has intensified, particularly among the Israeli political and military elites, who have described it as a "criminal gang," and that its actions in the Gaza Strip constitute genocide and war crimes.
One of the leaders who issued strongly worded statements against the ongoing massacres of Palestinian civilians in Gaza was former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who considered what "Israel" is currently doing in Gaza to be close to a war crime.
In an interview with the BBC, Olmert emphasized that this is a war without a purpose and without any chance of achieving anything that could save the lives of the prisoners.
Olmert pointed out that the clear picture of the war is the killing of thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians and many soldiers.
This precise description by Olmert was also echoed by the head of the Democratic Party and former Deputy Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General (Reserve) Yair Golan, who asserted in an interview with the Israeli radio station Kan that the occupation government is killing children in the Gaza Strip as a "hobby," adding that it poses a threat to Israel's existence.
He emphasized that a "normal state" does not wage war against civilians, does not kill children as a hobby, and does not set itself the goal of displacing a population.
Golan explained that the current government is filled with people possessed by feelings of revenge and lacking morals, it is incapable of acting and poses a threat to Israel's existence.
Similarly, former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon asserted that the killing in Gaza is a policy pursued by the current Israeli government, aimed at remaining in power, even though it is dragging Israel toward destruction.
Isolation
In response to Israeli discontent over the ongoing war, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said on Friday that what is happening in the Gaza Strip is a political war aimed at preserving the ruling coalition, he emphasized that the military operation in Gaza will not lead to a victory over Hamas.
In press statements, Barak explained that Israel needs leadership that seeks to return the prisoners held in the Gaza Strip in one fell swoop and stop the war, which he described as "absurd."
Regarding the military operation in Gaza, Barak noted that there are significant doubts about the success of the military operation and its potential for achieving results different from previous operations.
He emphasized that it will increase Israel's political and legal isolation and kill a number of living hostages, while it will not lead to a victory over Hamas.
Barak emphasized that the occupation of Gaza, the displacement of two million Palestinians, and the settlement of Israelis in their place are mere illusions that will backfire on Israel.
The Fall of Legitimacy
Soon after, Major General Amos Yadlin, the former head of Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate (Aman), called on Netanyahu to halt the war on the Gaza Strip, arguing that he lacks domestic legitimacy to continue the war.
This came in an interview with the Israeli Knesset Channel, in which he said that Israel's international legitimacy is "at its worst today" due to its actions in the Gaza Strip.
Yadlin said, "I once again call on the prime minister to end the war, as he has no domestic legitimacy to continue the war and relies on a certain group of extremists who evade military service."
In this context, political analysts confirmed in separate interviews with the Al-Quds website that the escalation of political rhetoric in Israel, which has exposed the genocide being perpetrated against civilians in Gaza, constitutes an official admission that Israel is committing war crimes.
In this regard, writer and expert on Israeli affairs, Yasser Manna, asserts that the statement by Israeli officer Golan, in which he said that "a rational state does not kill children as a hobby," represents a powerful blow to the official narrative, which justifies Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip under the pretext of "security necessities."
According to Manna, Golan's statement also represents an implicit admission that Israel is practicing genocide in Gaza and has lost its mind, transforming into an entity fueled by feelings of hatred.
Manna asserts that the credibility of these admissions stems from the fact that they come from figures like Golan, who cannot be accused of ideological hostility to Israel but were part of the decision-making process.
Manna points out that such statements contribute to the internal dismantling of official Israeli discourse, which increases international and domestic pressure to reevaluate Israel's policies and practices in the conflict.
Premeditated Intent
For his part, Dr. Saad Nimer, a professor of political science at Birzeit University, believes that Golan's statements, in which he described Israel's actions in Gaza as motivated by the intent to kill rather than to achieve military objectives, such as liberating prisoners or eliminating Hamas, were a major shock to Israeli society, as they revealed the naked truth about the nature of the war.
Nimer explains that these statements are not the first of their kind. Several Israeli voices, including former leaders and members of the Knesset, have begun describing the war as "absurd" and lacking clear objectives, with increasing criticism of the way the military operations were carried out, which they consider a war of extermination.
Nimer points out that Golan's statements, which provoked strong reactions within Israel, caused great confusion because they revealed a premeditated intent for genocide, this is consistent with the statements of extremist ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who affirm a clear intent to eliminate and displace Palestinians.
Transformations
Dr. Raed Abu Badawi, professor of international law and international relations at the Arab American University, said that repeated statements by a number of former Israeli political and military leaders confirm a noticeable shift in attitudes toward the war on the Gaza Strip in the Israeli public and the international community, he noted that these changes are not limited to military leaders, but extend to former political and security voices who have begun to criticize the gross violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in Gaza.
Abu Badawi pointed to Olmert's statements, in which he spoke explicitly about Israel's actions in Gaza, describing them as bordering on "war crimes," reflecting an internal rift in the official Israeli narrative.
Abu Badawi explained that this shift is clearly evident in the Israeli public, as a recent poll showed that 67% of Israelis support an end to the war, alongside demonstrations in Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities holding up pictures of Gazan children to demand an end to the conflict.
Abu Badawiya points out that these movements reflect growing societal awareness within the entity of the strategic cost of war, however, the entity's government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to use the war as a political tool to advance its personal interests and maintain the ruling coalition, reflecting its priority of remaining in power over humanitarian considerations.
Finally, the growing voices of internal anger demanding an end to the genocidal crimes in the Gaza Strip and a prisoner exchange deal indicate the extent of the impasse and severe divisions facing the Israeli enemy government, which could threaten its stability and lead it to collapse and defeat.
M.M
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