Israeli government crisis

The people of Gaza woke up this morning to the news of the martyrdom of four citizens in the eastern region of the Gaza Strip, who were targeted by the Israeli occupation forces, in a blatant and obvious violation of the ceasefire agreement, and an exposed and cheap extortion to pressure the Palestinian factions to make concessions in the ceasefire deal, so that Netanyahu's extremist right-wing government appears victorious to the Israelis. On the other hand, the Palestinian resistance, led by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), rejected the irresponsible Israeli tendencies that clearly aim to sabotage the ceasefire agreement and evade entering the second phase of the agreement, which will result in the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the Philadelphia corridor, something that Netanyahu's extremist government does not want.

In this context, Netanyahu's government is facing a difficult dilemma regarding the possibility of its collapse, especially if Finance Minister Smotrich threatens to leave the government if Prime Minister Netanyahu continues to implement the ceasefire agreement, which threatens, as previously mentioned, the survival of Netanyahu's government in its current formation. Following the martyrdom of four citizens in Gaza, Netanyahu announced the closure of all crossings and the prevention of humanitarian aid shipments. Concurrently, with the U.S. administration preoccupied with supporting peace talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, and the expected arrival of American envoy Steve Witkoff in the coming days, Netanyahu and his extremist government officials, like Finance Minister Smotrich and Energy and Culture Ministers, are counting on the U.S. administration's support for their move to pressure the resistance to gain advantages that would enhance his standing in the Israeli street. However, opinion polls show a noticeable decline in support for his government and ruling party, stemming from his failure to rescue Israeli hostages and even causing the death of some of them.

The fear of the second-phase negotiations of the ceasefire deal stumbling seems to be escalating, but it is known that the U.S. administration, led by President Donald Trump, whose election campaign relied on ending the war in Gaza and Ukraine, finds everything Netanyahu and his extremist ministers do contradicts Trump's goals. The consequences of reckless escalation steps aimed desperately at returning the situations in the Gaza Strip to square one before the sixteenth of January may somewhat align the U.S. administration with Netanyahu's dangerous steps. However, despite all these attempts, there is a red line that Trump and his envoy Witkoff may not allow Netanyahu's government to cross. Ultimately, the occupying entity will have to yield to the negotiating table and adhere to the ceasefire agreement provisions, for the U.S. President's decisions can change at any moment, and no one can predict his reactions. What happened to Ukrainian President Zelensky, a strong ally of the United States, could be a lesson for Netanyahu. What matters to Trump's administration is to minimize spending as much as possible and to collect as much money as possible, as evidenced by a statement from a Republican senator that Americans are tired of being exploited... Therefore, halting support for U.S. allies, especially in Europe, may be the trend of the U.S. administration in the coming days.

Kholoud Kamel Al-Kurdi.