Netanyahu coalition under strain amid US standoff
● UN Gaza resolution not affecting ceasefire talks so far, mediator says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced growing strains on his divided coalition yesterday after an angry standoff with Washington worsened disagreements over proposals to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military.
Israeli media reported that a cabinet meeting to discuss the changes to the conscription law had been called off, with only days left before the government has to present proposals to the Supreme Court.
A Netanyahu aide said a cabinet session had yet to be scheduled.
The holdup came a day after Netanyahu’s fraught relations with US President Joe Biden broke down over Washington’s decision not to veto a UN Security Council resolution seeking an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Amid growing international pressure for a halt to the fighting and a stop to Israeli plans to launch a ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, Netanyahu cancelled a scheduled visit to Washington by two of his most senior aides who were due to hear US ideas about operational alternatives.
The open show of defiance towards Israel’s strongest ally was welcomed by his religiousnationalist coalition partners but implicitly criticised by centrist former defence minister Benny Gantz, who joined the war cabinet last year and who said the delegation should go to Washington.
Despite plunging approval ratings for Netanyahu himself, surveys indicate the Israeli public largely supports the government’s determination to dismantle Hamas as a military force in Gaza. But the divisions underscored the growing pressure on the government internationally.
The conservative Israel Hayom newspaper, normally supportive of Netanyahu, backed the decision not to send the delegation but said public support from Biden was what was needed more than anything by Israel at a time when “the legitimacy of its actions is disintegrating at frightening speed”.
Netanyahu’s position remains dependent on holding together his coalition with hard-right religious nationalist parties that are opposed to any let-up in the war or any concession to international demands for a broad-based political settlement with the Palestinians.
But the conscription law, which could potentially remove exemptions keeping ultra-Orthodox Jews from serving in the military, is shaping up as a significant obstacle, highlighting the divide between secular and religious Israelis.
The proposals have sharpened divisions between allies of defence minister Yoav Gallant, who has been pushing for a widening of conscription laws, and the ultra-Orthodox parties who want the exemptions to remain.
● The UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has not had an immediate impact on ceasefire talks in Doha, mediator Qatar said yesterday.
The resolution demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas, as well as the release of hostages.
The US abstained from the vote, angering ally Israel which had wanted Washington to veto it. The remaining 14 council members voted in favour.
“We haven’t seen any immediate effect on the talks, they are ongoing as they were before, as the (UN) decision was taking place,” Qatar foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said during a press conference in Doha yesterday.
A source briefed on the talks earlier said a delegation from Israel’s Mossad spy agency, which had arrived in Qatar more than a week ago, was still engaging in discussions.
A small Mossad team was returning to Israel from Doha for consultations on developments, the source added.
The sides have been discussing a potential truce of about 42 days during which about 40 Israeli hostages would be released in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Israel says it is willing to consider only a temporary pause in fighting; Hamas wants any deal to lead to an end to the war.
Netanyahu’s office said yesterday Hamas had made “delusional” demands, which it said showed the Palestinians were not interested in a deal.
Hamas has accused Israel of stalling at the talks while it carries out its military offensive.
The discussions, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, are continuing as a humanitarian crisis devastates Palestinians in Gaza with severe shortages of food, medicine and hospital care. —