Netanyahu Refuses to Discuss Post-War Plans for Gaza With Security Chiefs

The Israeli leader has said he envisions an open-ended Israeli military occupation of Gaza

According to Israeli media reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused requests from his top military and intelligence officials to discuss potential plans for a post-war Gaza.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu rebuffed three separate requests from the heads of Mossad, Shin Bet, and the Israeli Defense Forces. “Time is running out and decisions need to be made already about how to act with regard to all the relevant actors inside and outside the Gaza Strip. The Americans want explanations,” an unnamed Israeli security source said.

In response to the report, Netanyahu’s office said that he had instructed his top aides to prepare for preliminary deliberations on the matter. The news of Netanyahu’s refusal to discuss the topic comes as Ron Dermer, Netanyahu’s minister for strategic affairs, is in Washington and due to meet with high-level US officials to discuss the Israeli assault on Gaza.

The US and Israel have very different visions for a post-war Gaza as the Biden administration is calling for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to take over while Netanyahu has publicly rejected the idea. The Israeli leader has said several times now that he envisions an open-ended Israeli military occupation of Gaza.

The US and Israel are also far apart on Israel’s current military operations in Gaza. US officials have said they advised Israel to wrap up the current phase of the war, which involves constant airstrikes and ground operations, to take a more targeted approach against Hamas leadership.

But Netanyahu and other Israeli officials said military operations are expanding in Gaza and have vowed the onslaught will last a long time. So far, the US-backed Israeli massacre has killed over 21,000 Palestinians, including over 8,000 children, according to numbers from Gaza’s Health Ministry, which is believed to be a low estimate.

Netanyahu has an interest in continuing the onslaught as his political career is in peril due to intelligence failures that led to the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. The Israeli leader has also come under heavy criticism for his strategy of helping prop up Hamas to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state. Polling has shown that the majority of Israelis want Netanyahu to resign after the war.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.