No immediate prospect that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has a peace strategy

Deutsche Welle has this current interview with longtime diplomat David Aaron Miller, currently of the Carnegie Endowment. He doesn’t see much immediate hope for the US to force an end to Israel’s military actions and intentional starvation campaign in Gaza: (1)

Paul Pillar gives us a picture of the current state of what is commonly called the Gaza War. Though he notes that:

What is taking place in Gaza now is mostly not a war, even though that term commonly is applied to the violence there. It is instead a largely unilateral assault on a population and its means of living. It is a situation in which one side, Israel, has — as Trump might put it — nearly all the cards. (2)

Most signs at the moment point to Netanyahu having the intention to continue the current war indefinitely. And who knows when he will decide to make more attacks on other countries and seize more territory. He’s on a roll – a nightmarish one – and he has what amounts to full backing from the Trump 2.0 Administration.

Netanyahu’s government is not pursuing any rational goal of defending the security of the existing nation-state of Israel. He is pursuing an expansionist, ethnonationalist mission combined with his determination to put an end to democracy and the rule of law in Israel and replace it with an authoritarian government, which he’s a long way down the road of establishing already.

This is an example of how far Israel’s current course is from pursuing any practical concept of the national interests of the State of Israel is illustrated by this:

Over 600 former Israeli security officials — including former heads of the Mossad, the Shin Bet internal security agency, the Israeli military, Israel Police and ambassadors — have sent an open letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to pressure Israel to immediately end the war in Gaza. (3)

International pressure on Israel is increasing:

France, Great Britain and Germany, among others, have sharply criticized Hamas. At the same time, the states continue to put pressure on Israel to allow more relief supplies into the Gaza Strip. Because the outrage over the pictures of emaciated children and reports of starvation deaths in Gaza is great. (4)

But only an American refusal to keep funding and supplying Israel in the current war/starvation campaign/genocide has any obvious prospect of restraining Netanyahu’s government right now.

Haaretz‘ Amos Harel writes that for Netanyahu, it’s pedal-to-the-medal on the war:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doubling his bet on the Gaza Strip. Despite opposition from IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, exhaustion among the combat units and growing reservations among the Israeli public, Netanyahu announced on Sunday an expansion of the war against Hamas.

Then, in a video released on Monday, he announced he is determined to continue the war, to eliminate Hamas in Gaza and "to free our hostage sons."

And on Monday evening, another message of radicalization arrived. Netanyahu, through a senior official on his staff, announced he had decided that Israel would conquer all of Gaza. "If it doesn't suit IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, let him resign," he added, in what seems to be a deliberate provocation. (5)

And he offers this grim observation:

In practice, the prospects for a deal without tough American intervention appear rather slim. The essential factor is time, and it appears that Netanyahu thinks that at this stage, it's working in his favor, meaning that dragging things out serves his needs.

Notes:

(1) 'I don't see a dramatic pivot' Do Netanyahus actions in Gaza stay without consequence? DW News YouTube channel 08/05/2025. <https://youtu.be/-GeJqOw1KpE?si=thTIUfILCkp6wXVs> (Accessed: 2025-05-08).

(2) Pillar, Paul (2025): This isn't a 'war' — Israel is destroying a population. Responsible Statecraft 07/30/2025. <https://responsiblestatecraft.org/hamas-israel-starvation/> (Accessed: 2025-05-08).

(3) Bassist, Rina (2025): Over 600 former Israeli security officials call on Trump to end Gaza war. Al-Monitor 08/04/2025. <https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2025/08/over-600-former-israeli-security-officials-call-trump-end-gaza-war> (Accessed: 2025-05-08).

(4) Mory, Flora (2025): Netanjahu beharrt auf Fortsetzung des Gazakriegs, "um alle Ziele zu erreichen". Der Standard 04.08.2025. <https://www.derstandard.at/story/3000000282150/netanjahu-beharrt-auf-fortsetzung-des-gazakriegs-um-alle-ziele-zu-erreichen> (Accessed: 2025-05-08). My translation from German.

(5) Harel, Amos (2025): Defying Israeli Army Opposition, Netanyahu Pushes to Escalate an Unwinnable War in Gaza. Haaretz 08/05/2025. <https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2025-08-05/ty-article/.premium/netanyahu-doubles-down-on-gaza-but-cant-explain-to-israelis-why-it-will-work-this-time/00000198-76b0-d802-add9-f7ff46cd0000?gift=2369114df7234736951edcfa40d5d1f7> (Accessed: 2025-05-08).