With a Gaza Cease-Fire in the Balance, Netanyahu Maneuvers to Keep Power

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  • Updates
  • Photos
  • Cease-Fire Talks
  • Rafah Invasion Looms
  • U.S. Efforts to Broker a Deal
  • Roots of the Conflict

News Analysis

The Israeli premier minister, nether unit from each sides, is trying to reassure his galore domestic, subject and diplomatic critics. Here’s a look astatine what helium is confronting.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel successful  a suit   and tie. Next to him are 2  radical   successful  hats saluting.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel attending a Holocaust remembrance ceremonial this week successful Jerusalem. His warfare decisions could impact his aboriginal arsenic premier minister.Credit...Amir Cohen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Steven Erlanger

By Steven Erlanger

Steven Erlanger is simply a erstwhile Jerusalem bureau main and has spent weeks successful Israel and the occupied West Bank since the Oct. 7 attacks.

May 8, 2024, 12:00 a.m. ET

Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s premier minister, is known arsenic a antheral who likes to play for clip and postpone large decisions. But helium whitethorn not beryllium capable to bash that overmuch longer.

Domestically, his conjugation partners connected the acold close endanger to interruption up the authorities if helium agrees to a cease-fire and does not effort to wide Hamas retired of Rafah, successful confederate Gaza.

Militarily, the strategical logic is to implicit the dismantling of Hamas by taking Rafah and controlling the borderline with Egypt. But diplomatically, his allies, particularly the United States, are pushing him to hold connected a cease-fire, and skip Rafah and the imaginable civilian casualties a large-scale cognition would cause.

Image

Smoke successful Rafah, successful confederate Gaza, connected Tuesday. The metropolis has go a refuge for Palestinians who person fled Israeli bombardment successful different parts of Gaza.Credit...Hatem Khaled/Reuters

So Mr. Netanyahu is present negotiating and maneuvering connected respective fronts astatine once, each of which person a important effect connected the behaviour of the warfare and his ain aboriginal arsenic premier minister.

His caller warnings to Palestinians successful parts of Rafah to determination to areas Israel has designated arsenic safe, followed precocious Monday nighttime by the Israeli military’s seizure of the Gazan broadside of the Egyptian border, signaled to his far-right authorities coalition, to Hamas and to the Biden medication that helium would proceed to prioritize Israel’s information interests. More important, Israel’s much constrictive warfare cabinet, which includes elder absorption figures, backed those decisions.


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