Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is too "left-wing" and dovish, according to former Defense Minister Avgidor Lieberman and Education Minister Naftali Bennett. A true right-wing government needs to act more aggressively, they say. In reality though, the prime minister is far from turning left wing and certainly not interested in peace.
For Netanyahu, it is more important we keep the West Bank under tight Israeli control, even if that means Israeli children in the Gaza periphery region need to spend their childhood in bomb shelters, there are confrontations on the border and a stabbing attack here and there. From the incendiary kites, we learned Israel is not hermetically sealed off from the Gaza Strip and that no military exists that can collapse the Hamas regime without conquering the coastal enclave. The only path to a long-term cease-fire runs through Ramallah, but Netanyahu has rejected diplomatic dialogue with the Palestinian Authority leadership outright.
By entering into negotiations with Hamas, Netanyahu has not taken a dovish step with a new partner for diplomatic dialogue – quite the opposite. This was a hawkish step that signals to Hamas that we see your show of force and speak your language well; we have no interest in any other form of dialogue.
All of the steps Netanyahu has taken in the last decade, and in particular those he has not taken, are a testament to his desire to weaken the most moderate partner, PA President Mahmoud Abbas, and undermine his limited influence in Gaza. When Abbas formed a reconciliation government with Hamas, Netanyahu condemned the cooperation with a terrorist group. Following the dissolution of the unity government, he said Abbas did not represent all Palestinians.
As Netanyahu sees it, cooperation between Abbas and Hamas contradicts Israel's unstated policy: the perpetuation of the division between Gaza and the West Bank. If the PA controls Gaza, it will be clear to all that there is one Palestinian entity. The resulting international pressure would put an end to the political deadlock and push Netanyahu into a corner.
So Netanyahu chooses to keep Abbas at arm's length. Israel continues its security cooperation with PA forces, which allows a majority of Israel's citizens to enjoy relative security, while the settlement enterprise can continue unrestrained.
The terror attacks we have witnessed in recent years were carried out by lone wolves who attacked beyond the Green line, where they are more difficult to thwart. For Netanyahu and the settler leadership, this bloody price is worth paying if it means additional outposts. In fact, terrorism can even be used to justify additional construction, as according to the Right, it is the "appropriate Zionist response."
And just as Netanyahu has been able to hold on to power despite criticism over the security situation, he knows he will be able to withstand the criticism that will arise after a bloody military operation sees countless Israelis wounded and killed. But God forbid negotiations "break out" over Jerusalem and the evacuation of settlements. That he would never survive.
A conflict cannot be resolved through military means, and we cannot allow a violent enemy to mark diplomatic achievements. It is not only the Left that believes this to be true. Senior defense officials, both past and present, have determined that true security can only be achieved through a diplomatic agreement with the Palestinians, the cost of which – relinquishing the vision of a Greater Israel – "Mr. Security" is too scared to pay.
