The growing social unrest in Israel makes you hard to believe that a military operation is going on in the Gaza Strip. The large-scale events that erupted in Tel Aviv turned into "riots", which was the most violent of the ** wave since October last year. Incredibly, the war in Gaza is far from over, but Israel is in increasingly chaotic condition. The Global Times report pointed out that the reasons for the prolongation of the war in Gaza and the unrest in Israeli society are worth pondering. Now, let's uncover why the war in Gaza has left Israel so chaotic.
a) The war in Gaza is a tug-of-war, and internal turmoil is imminent.
On 24 February, a wave of demonstrations erupted in Tel Aviv on an unprecedented scale, even escalating into riots. The use of the term is reminiscent of the civil strife and the state that have been caused by social unrest in the past**. You know, riots are often a precursor to social unrest and the beginning of civil war. And this Israeli "riot" shows that social contradictions have reached a critical level. This is not only a dissatisfaction with Netanyahu**, but also a challenge to the entire social order.
At the same time, the ground fighting in Gaza is a tug-of-war, and while Israel has military superiority, complex urban warfare makes it difficult to resolve the fighting quickly. The Gaza Strip's underpasses and high-density buildings have left Israel facing serious street fighting. Some cases in history, such as Chechnya, Syria, and Iraq, show that street fighting is a tough battle that can be a headache for the attackers. The Israeli offensive was bound to be constrained by the special terrain of Gaza, which led to the slow progress of the fighting. This has not only increased the cost of war, but also caused the domestic public's expectations and anxiety about the war to rise.
b) Netanyahu** is in a political crisis.
Whatever the final outcome of the fighting in Gaza, Netanyahu's political fortunes seem unlikely to escape the crisis. Since the outbreak of fighting in Gaza, the voice of Netanyahu** in Israel has grown. This is nothing new, as the judicial reforms he has carried out have provoked backlash since he came to power for the third time. However, the Hamas attack exposed Netanyahu's negligence in ***, allowing the hostages to fall into the hands of the adversary, causing his approval ratings to plummet. Similar cases in history also point to the possibility that Netanyahu could face pressure even if the Israeli army eventually defeats Hamas.
3) The fighting in Gaza is not only a civil war, but also a stumbling block to peace.
Regardless of the final outcome in Gaza, there is still a long way to go for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Netanyahu**'s military campaign in Gaza may continue, but in the process, whether they can simultaneously resolve the hostage issue and release some of the Israeli hostages has become a difficult problem for Netanyahu** to deal with internally and externally. Even if the war ends, Netanyahu may not be able to avoid being held accountable by the government and the opposition at home after the war. This event actually reflects the loss of patience with Netanyahu at home, which could lead to the end of his political career.
Overall, the fighting in Gaza is not only a military conflict, but also a concentrated eruption of problems within Israel's social and political system. In a turbulent time, the course of the war in Gaza and the fate of Netanyahu** are uncertain, and the achievement of Palestinian-Israeli peace still looks elusive.