What Does Netanyahu’s Occupation of Gaza Mean?
Cabinet members meet to discuss military options as Israel’s Prime Minister pushes for full control of the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is planning to seek cabinet approval for the full occupation of the Gaza Strip, local media reported Tuesday, as ceasefire talks between the Hamas terrorist organization and Israel collapsed last week.
The war cabinet is expected to convene later Tuesday.
According to media reports, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is against the move.
Armies are averse to the concept of occupation and management of civilian population
“Armies are averse to the concept of occupation and management of civilian population,” Professor Eitan Shamir, director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies and a military expert, told The Media Line. “It is very complex and is not the natural role of an army.”
Complete military control of Gaza would put into question Israel’s obligation to the 2.1 million Palestinians living there.
“The transition to occupation means assuming responsibility for the population, something Israel has been trying to avoid,” Shamir said. “Israel has been trying to eat the cake and keep it whole — to attack and to crush, all while avoiding responsibility for the civilians.”
It is legal to occupy the territory of an enemy state in times of war
“It is legal to occupy the territory of an enemy state in times of war,” Professor Robbie Sabel, an expert on international law, told The Media Line. “If Israel does decide to occupy, it is responsible for the population in all aspects.”
If Israel is in such control, it is considered an occupier and is then obligated to look after the civilian population
“The criteria is effective control,” he explained. “If Israel is in such control, it is considered an occupier and is then obligated to look after the civilian population.”
This, according to Sabel, means responsibility for all aspects of life — from medicine to transportation, sewage and education.
Israel’s humanitarian effort — or lack thereof, according to critics — has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks.
In an attempt to mitigate the crisis, Israel has increased the flow of aid into Gaza, allowing several countries — including Canada, Spain, Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates — to airdrop supplies into the territory.
Throughout the war, Israel has claimed that Hamas has overtaken much of the humanitarian aid, using it not only to restock its own supplies but also to sell it at inflated prices to replenish the organization’s cash flow.
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Last week, the Israeli military announced daily pauses in fighting in certain areas to “ensure the safe passage of more convoys delivering aid,” according to a statement released by the army.
The IDF claims it already controls about 75% of the war-torn territory. The remaining parts — some of which the army has not entered at all in the lengthy war — are now expected to be the target of an intense effort. Some of these areas are believed to be where Hamas is holding Israeli hostages, the main reason why Israel has kept its distance until now.
Shamir divides Gaza into three main areas.
“There are places in which the IDF has almost completely rid of Hamas presence, including in the underground, and it continues to operate there while holding positions and establishing military posts,” he explained. “There are areas in which it has not fully completed clearing the area of Hamas, and there are areas in which the IDF has no presence whatsoever — approximately 25%, areas it has no control at all.”
These areas are highly populated and densely built, with difficult conditions for combat
“In the areas in which the IDF has operated intensely, it does not mean that there is no presence of terrorists,” he added. “These areas are highly populated and densely built, with difficult conditions for combat.”
Israel’s government is the most far-right to ever govern the country. Some of Netanyahu’s most senior partners believe Israel needs to annex the Gaza Strip and resettle it after evacuating the territory in 2005. Several times throughout the war, Netanyahu has ruled out this option. The opposition in Israel claims the Israeli premier is more committed to his coalition than to those statements.
Netanyahu speaks in two different languages — one to the international community and a different one to his political partners
“Netanyahu speaks in two different languages — one to the international community and a different one to his political partners,” Dr. Ronni Shaked, Middle East and Islam Research Unit coordinator at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, told The Media Line.
“In order to stay in power, Netanyahu needs to pay his dues to the right. His partners want to turn the rubble in Gaza to sand and then build Jewish settlements on it. This is their dream,” Shaked said.
A full-blown occupation of the Gaza Strip will require a large number of soldiers for a long time. This will have implications for the army, Israeli society and the economy.
“Israel’s main goal in Gaza is to turn the place into an area where no Palestinian can afford living and will automatically choose to leave,” Nidal Foqaha, director general of the Palestinian Peace Coalition Geneva Initiative in Ramallah, told The Media Line. “This is a forcible displacement and violates all international laws. Israel, being the occupying power, should assume its responsibility both in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and shouldn’t do any annexation, including de facto annexation.”
According to Sabel, annexation would be an illegal move on Israel’s part.
Occupation does not grant sovereignty. Such unilateral actions, as annexation, are not legal.
“Occupation does not grant sovereignty,” he explained. “Such unilateral actions, as annexation, are not legal.”
The war, which will reach its two-year milestone in October, began when Hamas launched a surprise offensive against Israel, killing approximately 1,200 Israelis and wounding thousands more in the deadliest attack carried out against the Jewish state in a single day. Hamas also took 250 people hostage. Fifty remain in captivity. Twenty of the hostages are believed to still be alive, with recent videos released by Hamas portraying them in a dire situation.
Israel immediately launched a massive offensive against Hamas, setting out two goals. Netanyahu vowed to remove Hamas from power, stripping it of all its military and governing abilities. He also promised to secure the release of all the hostages.
As a result of the war, the Hamas-run health ministry has reported that more than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed and nearly 150,000 injured. The destruction in Gaza is widespread, and international organizations have been warning of pending widespread starvation of the population.
Gaza has had a turbulent history and has been a thorn in Israel’s side for decades.
The Gaza entanglement will drag Israel into becoming South Africa during apartheid — isolated from the world, which will no longer tolerate its policies there
“The Gaza entanglement will drag Israel into becoming South Africa during apartheid — isolated from the world, which will no longer tolerate its policies there,” said Shaked.
Last month, several European countries announced personal sanctions against far-right cabinet ministers.
Also, several countries announced they would recognize a Palestinian state in September.
The political backlash Israel has been facing appears to be snowballing in recent weeks as the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates and international patience with the war wanes.
Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, 38 years after it captured the territory from Egypt during the 1967 Six-Day War. Initially, the Palestinian Authority took control, until Hamas violently overthrew the Fatah party and took over Gaza.
During the entire period, Israel maintained control of the border crossings it shared with Gaza and also its airspace and territorial waters through a strict naval blockade. Egyptian soldiers and Hamas operatives manned Gaza’s border with Egypt until Israel took control of the border town of Rafah and the crossing several months into the current war.
Hamas has vowed to continue its war against Israel until it completely withdraws from Gaza — a condition it has also set for the release of the hostages it still holds. Netanyahu currently insists on intensifying the war effort, maintaining that the added pressure will lead the terrorist group into submission. His opponents believe Israel has already weakened Hamas significantly and say the country can withdraw from Gaza and defend itself from its internationally recognized borders while securing the release of all the hostages.
Hamas will never surrender. Israel needs to leave Gaza and maintain a security perimeter of several hundred meters, monitoring and reacting decisively to any violation of the ceasefire.
“Hamas will never surrender,” said Shaked. “Israel needs to leave Gaza and maintain a security perimeter of several hundred meters, monitoring and reacting decisively to any violation of the ceasefire.”
Hours ahead of a fateful cabinet meeting, Israel’s leadership faces a decision that will have major domestic implications but also affect its international standing.
