Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
28 June 2024 | 15:30 CAT
2 min read

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to continue the Gaza war extends beyond personal political survival and legal concerns, says Dr James M. Dorsey in an interview with Radio Islam.

While Netanyahu may have personal motivations to prolong the war, reducing Israeli policy to these interests overlooks broader issues.

Dorsey explained that the Israeli government, particularly Netanyahu, is under pressure from both the Israeli military and the United States to come up with a plan for governance once the war ends.

“Netanyahu has refused to do so, but also, since February, he has floated some ideas, which have taken a more concrete stature in recent days. Netanyahu told his cabinet that conversations are taking place with clan leaders in Gaza. His national security advisor expected a governance of some sort to be established in Northern Gaza within days. There is a 28-page paper circulating among senior government officials that lays out what that would mean,” he said.

Dorsey stated that Israel seeks to exclude both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas from having any role.

“It thinks it can substitute those two with clan and tribal leaders as well as businessmen, but there is no indication that they would want to take the risk of being seen to be cooperating with the Israelis,” he added.

Currently, discussions in Israel include a proposed transition phase. Dorsey quoted Israeli sentiments indicating that during this phase, “Gazans would be de-radicalised and re-educated so that they no longer want to kill Israelis.”

Netanyahu hopes to see Arab countries participate in the governance plans for Gaza. However, Egypt, the Emirates, and other nations have stated they “will have nothing to do with a plan that looks like they will be doing Israel’s bidding in Gaza.”

Dorsey highlighted that these countries will only be willing to discuss engagement if there is a clear and irreversible pathway to a Palestinian state, a condition Netanyahu has rejected. “This looks like a plan that is being cooked up but likely to go nowhere,” he said.

Dorsey pointed out that there are multiple traumas in this conflict. “On one side of the divide you have a population that has been traumatised for the last 9 months for sure, and many would argue long before that,” he said.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Habib Bobat and Dr James M. Dorsey here.