The United States announced sanctions against the Israeli army, why did senior Israeli officials resign one after another? Blinken denied the double standard of the United States, has Netanyahu been snubbed by Biden?
The United States sanctioned Israeli troops, and Netanyahu threatened to fight back
The matter of US sanctions against Israel is gradually fermenting. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. government is preparing to sanction the "Yehuda Victory Camp" under the Israel Defense Forces for violating the human rights of the Palestinian people in the West Bank. This will be the first time that the United States has sanctioned Israeli forces.
After the news broke, it triggered a collective opposition from both the left and right factions in Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on the 21st that he would "do everything in his power to fight back" against sanctions against any unit of the Israeli army. He also accused the US government of sanctioning the Israeli army as "highly absurd" and falling into a "moral trough." Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also belongs to the right-wing camp, said that the US Government was "absolutely insane", and the Minister of National Security, Ben-Gvir, threatened to sanction the Palestinian National Authority.
Benny Gantz, a centrist wartime cabinet member who also disapproved of sanctions, said he would seek to persuade U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to reconsider the decision. Reuters noted that Blinken had a phone call with Gantz on the 21st, but did not mention the sanctions. Former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who has a more leftist stance, said that the US decision was "wrong" and that "the root of the problem is not in the military, but at the political level."
The "Yehuda Victory Battalion" is an all-male infantry battalion of ultra-Orthodox Israeli Jews and religious nationalists who have been stationed in the West Bank for a long time, and although they represent only a small number of Israeli troops, they have committed numerous human rights violations against the Palestinian population. Ironically, although the United States did not say which force it would sanction, the Israeli government and the media have tacitly acquiesced that the target of the US sanctions is the "Yehuda Victory Battalion", which also reflects the notoriety of this force.
The Israeli army's response to the issue of sanctions was not as drastic as that of the Israeli Government. A spokesman for the Israeli army said that it is not aware of the sanctions for the time being, but if the "Yehuda Victory Battalion" is sanctioned, the consequences will be assessed.
At present, the US sanctions have not yet been officially implemented, but the internal shock of the Israeli military has already begun. According to the Israeli military, the head of military intelligence, Haliwa, has announced his resignation due to the ineffective response to the Hamas attacks. In a statement, the Israeli army said: Haliwa, in coordination with the Chief of the General Staff, asked for the termination of his post. As the head of the intelligence agency, he was responsible for the Hamas attack that erupted on October 7, 2023. After appointing a successor in accordance with the procedure, Haliwa will end his post and retire.
Israeli media reported that Haliwa was the first senior Israeli official to resign for failing to stop a Hamas attack. In his letter of resignation, he acknowledged his responsibility and called for a thorough investigation into the factors and circumstances that led to the attack. It is believed that Haliwa served in the army for 38 years and is one of the most senior leaders of the Israeli military. If such a veteran officer needs to resign and apologize, then there may be more people to blame for the events of October 7.
In fact, on the 22nd, the commander of the Israeli Central Command, Fox, also submitted a letter of resignation, requesting to leave his post and retire from the army in August. Although Israeli officials have stressed that Fox's resignation is not linked to Haliwa, Fox himself has made it clear that he is partly responsible for the military intelligence failure on October 7 last year, so he "must end his term like everyone else."
Protests erupted in Israel, and military officials were able to protect themselves
The successive resignations of senior Israeli military officials, combined with the pressure of US sanctions, indicate that the Netanyahu regime is facing a new crisis. On the evening of the 21st, Netanyahu immediately made a speech after receiving the news that the United States had passed the aid bill, announcing that he would deal a new heavy blow to Hamas, and would increase military and political pressure on Hamas, and that this was "the only way to free the hostages and win the victory." At the same time, Israeli Chief of Staff Al-Khalwi also met with the commander of the Israeli operation in Gaza and "approved the next phase of the war."
There are many differences of opinion among the Israeli army about Netanyahu's decision. On the one hand, the Kazakh-Israeli conflict has lasted for more than half a year, and all units of the Israeli army are tired of men and horses and are anxious to repair themselves; on the other hand, under the continuous blows of the Israeli army, Hamas has long been close to collapse, and Hamas leaders have even openly expressed their willingness to abandon their armed forces and transform into a political party. At this time, it is no longer meaningful to continue to fight the so-called "Hamas forces", but will arouse opposition from the international community and dissatisfaction among the domestic people. Many people believe that Netanyahu's declaration of the next phase of the war at this time is only to preserve his power and position, not to think about Israel's national interests.
In addition, on April 22, a large-scale protest movement broke out again outside the Israeli Ministry of Defense building. Tens of thousands of people rallied in Hostage Square to demand Netanyahu's resignation. The families of the hostages also organized "human chains" on the beach and called on the government to negotiate the release of the hostages. In the face of popular dissatisfaction, some Israeli military officers feared that they might become "scapegoats" and "back-bearers" after the war. At this time, the United States introduced sanctions, so "resigning" on this ground is undoubtedly a choice that can protect oneself.
For the "anti-water" of the officers and the protests of the people, Netanyahu blamed it on "leaks" from within the top. On April 21, Israeli media reported that at a recent cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made accusations against the Israeli defense minister, saying, "Every time I have a small meeting with the defense minister, the Mossad director, and the Simbet director, the content is all leaked." I know it's not the Mossad director, it's not the Simbert director, so who could it be?"
According to the report, Netanyahu's speech was made in Gallant's absence, and Gallant attended the meeting online by phone that day, and Netanyahu made the above remarks at the end of the meeting, but the report did not make it clear whether Gallant had hung up the phone when Netanyahu expressed his displeasure.
According to the report, Netanyahu is obviously alluding to Israeli Defense Minister Gallant leaking sensitive information about the meeting, and he also criticized some members of the Israeli delegation to the Gaza ceasefire talks for "spreading false information" to the outside world, and warned the latter to leave if they don't want to.
The United States has been embroiled in controversy by public opinion, and Blinken has denied double standards
It can be seen that although the United States has provided assistance to Israel, this has not only not eased the pressure on the Netanyahu government, but has exacerbated Israel's internal contradictions. At the same time, the United States has also been embroiled in greater controversy. On April 22, the U.S. Department of State released a so-called Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in 2023.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said at a press conference that the heavy casualties among civilians in the Gaza Strip in the current round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict raise deeply troubling human rights concerns, but he denied that the Biden administration has "double standards" in dealing with allegations of Israeli human rights abuses in Gaza.
Blinken said: Do we have a double standard? The answer is no. Whether the country is an adversary, rival, friend, or ally of the United States, the United States applies the same standards when it "examines" its human rights situation.
When asked why it had taken so long and it had not yet been determined whether Israeli forces were violating human rights in Gaza, Blinken replied that the United States has been making every effort to strengthen the protection of civilians while facilitating humanitarian assistance, and when it comes to allegations of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights violations, the United States will investigate them in accordance with procedures. When asked when the results of the investigation would be available, Blinken declined to give a timetable, saying only that he would release the facts once he had them.
In response to Blinken's explanation, Brian Finucain, a senior adviser to the "International Crisis Group", criticized that after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the United States quickly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But after the Kazakh-Israeli conflict, the United States was cautious in its treatment of Israel. He noted that the United States has a policy demand for adversaries like Russia to adjudicate atrocities in a way that appears to be legitimate and public. But for partners like Israel, the policy demands are reversed, and any inconvenient legal conclusions are avoided.
Biden spoke with Zelensky, and Macron called Netanyahu
It should be noted that while Blinken is still trying his best to defend Israel, Biden's attitude towards Israel has become noticeably colder. According to reports, on the 22nd local time, Biden held a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Biden promised that once the U.S. Congress finally passes the new $61 billion aid bill for Ukraine, a large amount of military assistance will be provided to Ukraine as soon as possible to meet Ukraine's urgent battlefield and air defense needs.
Zelenskyy said that he "thanked Biden for his unwavering support for Ukraine", which reflected Biden's "true global leadership". Zelenskyy also said that Biden had assured him that the new aid package would be implemented quickly and that "strong military aid will enhance our air defense, long-range and artillery capabilities." ”
It is intriguing that Biden did not call Netanyahu after Congress passed the aid bill, but instead held a phone call with Zelensky. It is also worth noting that on the 22nd, French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with Netanyahu. Macron expressed his desire to avoid the imminent outbreak of war in the Middle East and reiterated his desire to strengthen measures to combat "Iran's destabilizing behavior."
Macron said Iran's attack on Israel on the night of April 13-14 was "unprecedented" and "unacceptable," raising the risk of full-blown military escalation. France is determined to strengthen measures to respond to Iran's destabilizing actions and is in favour of European sanctions against Iran.
It can be seen that after the passage of the aid bill in the United States, the attention of the United States and Europe to hot issues has appeared a strange inversion. The Russia-Ukraine conflict should have been Europe's top concern, but after the United States announced its assistance, European leaders did not speak with Zelensky, but Biden called.
For the United States, the importance of the Middle East is obviously higher than that of Eastern Europe. But Biden did not speak to Netanyahu, and the person who called became French President Emmanuel Macron. This change shows that although the United States is committed to providing assistance to Israel, out of consideration of international public opinion, the United States is gradually paying less attention to Israel and the Middle East issue.