Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ambiguous political goals in the war with Gaza raise questions about the strategy behind the conflict. Speculations suggest that Netanyahu’s reluctance to agree to a ceasefire may be driven by fears of a right-wing backlash and personal political consequences. Despite immediate concerns, Netanyahu’s long-term strategy aligns with historic Zionist policies, fueling the ongoing crisis in the region.
Netanyahu’s worldview centers on the belief that the Land of Israel belongs solely to the Jews, advocating for continued settlement expansion and asserting dominance over Palestinians in the region. This entrenched ideology drives the current conflict, highlighting the need for a new political paradigm to resolve the enduring Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
While Netanyahu’s actions may be driven by a mix of ideological dogmatism and religious fanaticism, understanding the underlying motives is crucial in navigating towards a sustainable peace agreement in the region.
Ideological dogmatism and religious fanaticism
At the core of Netanyahu’s worldview is the conviction that the entirety of Eretz Israel, the “Land of Israel,” minimally defined as the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, belongs to the Jews; that the mission of the state is to realize the historic and moral right to this land by ongoing settlement and exploitation of political and military opportunities; and that the Palestinian population residing in this territory must accept Jewish-Israeli hegemony and, where possible, be persuaded or coerced to leave altogether.
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