Issues #21 - Netanyahu's War Cabinet Crumbles, EU Elections are a Warning to the Left, and SCOTUS Protects Abortion Pill, For Now
June 14, 2024
This week, Netanyahu is fighting a losing battle on multiple fronts, the strong showing by far-right parties should inspire the left to organize and compromise instead of being despondent, and SCOTUS ruling puts a chill on purely ideological cases being brought before the courts.
As well, a roundup of some of the interesting, uplifting, and good news from the week.
Netanyahu’s War Cabinet Crumbles
SLIVERS OF HOPE
A unified government is often crucial to maintain war efforts and positive sentiment amongst the public, and Netanyahu has lost his unified front.
Gantz’s resignation highlights that Netanyahu’s only aim is to maintain the War on Gaza so he can avoid accountability for corruption charges.
Gantz’s departure may indicate that the support for the war is dwindling amongst Israeli moderates.
By Gantz reclaiming his opposition role, Netanyahu will be forced to compromise, revoking his carte blanche.
Opposition in government has a unique way of grinding any military effort to a halt through political maneuvering and bureaucracy.
The U.S. has finally voted in favor of a ceasefire at the UN Security Council. Until now, they have blocked every previous vote.
With this vote, the U.S.’s unequivocal support of Israel may be waning. (Yet, until there is an arms embargo, this remains a symbolic gesture).
CATALYST
Could this be the beginning of the end for Netanyahu and his genocidal campaign in Gaza?
It’s common military wisdom that you shouldn’t fight a war on two fronts. With Gantz’s departure, the U.S. voting for a ceasefire at the Security Council, and a new report by the United Nations that accuses both Israel and Hamas of war crimes, Netanyahu’s fronts keep multiplying.
Taken individually, each of these events may not mean much for the invulnerable Netanyahu, but all landing in the same week is a significant blow.
With Gantz leaving, Netanyahu has lost his unified front, and now must deal with internal opposition. Increasingly, the remaining hostages’ families are calling for hostage release and exchange deals, realizing that more hostages are released through exchange deals than military campaigns.
With the U.S.’s vote for a ceasefire, Netanyahu is losing support from his closest ally.
And with another international body accusing Israel of war crimes, Netanyahu is also losing support of the global community.
The pressure is coming in from all angles, at least politically. Since the ICC applications for arrest for Netanyahu and other top Israeli and Hamas leaders, there has been an interesting turn in political discourse. They’re finally realizing this war is about prolonging Netanyahu’s tenure and not about rescuing hostages, something that many of us have known from the beginning.
Two weeks ago, I wrote about how only political pain would cause Biden to change his stance on Israel. With the Democratic National Convention in sight, Biden may be eager to secure a ceasefire to quell the growing dissent in his party. Yet, without an arms embargo and the administration’s continual blaming of Hamas for not agreeing to ceasefire terms, this vote may be a move by the U.S. to wrangle back its international control.
So, perhaps, it is one less front of the multiple that Netanyahu to worry about.
Still, Netanyahu’s days appear to be numbered. We can only hope that as his grip on power loosens, so will the devastation in Gaza decrease, at least for the immediate future. Much work remains to be done in Israel and with the Israeli public who still largely support this genocide.
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