• Israel’s military announces the withdrawal of 5 brigades which include several thousand troops.
• The Israeli supreme court strikes down a law that would limit its own power with regards to scrutinising the Israeli government.
The Israeli military has declared a significant withdrawal of thousands of soldiers from the besieged Gaza Strip, marking the first substantial pullback since the commencement of the current conflict in October. The move may have come amid heightened pressure from the United States, Israel’s most significant ally, urging a shift toward a lower-intensity conflict to minimize civilian casualties. Given that US elections are coming up in 2024, Joe Biden may be pushing Israel to shift their approach from indiscriminate bombing to a more targeted approach in order to regain some voters he may have lost because of Israel’s killing of 22,000 Palestinians.
While the withdrawal is underway, fierce fighting persists in the southern city of Khan Younis, reflecting Israel’s commitment to continue the war until its objectives are achieved. Their main objective being the dismantling of Hamas. The military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, announced on Monday that five brigades, comprising several thousand troops, are being withdrawn from Gaza for training and rest. The statement did not explicitly indicate a shift in the war’s phase, emphasizing the prolonged nature of the conflict to achieve its goals.
Retired Brigadier General Shlomo Brom suggests that the troop changes may be influenced by the USA and could signal a transformation in Israel’s war strategy. Israeli officials initially outlined a three-stage approach to the conflict, with the first stage involving intense shelling to clear access routes and encourage civilian evacuations despite approximately 75% of casualties being women and children. The second stage saw the invasion of the Gaza Strip with much of the Strip being overrun by tanks and IDF troops whilst Palestinian fighters continue to deploy guerrilla warfare tactics and ambushes. The military is now (according to an anonymous Israeli official as reported by Reuters news agency) moving into the third stage, involving “mopping-up missions against terrorists”, a process expected to take “at least six months”.
In a separate development, the Israeli government faced a setback as its Supreme Court struck down a controversial judicial reform. The reform, known as the “reasonableness” bill, aimed to limit the power of the Supreme Court to overturn laws it deemed unconstitutional. The court’s decision was based on the potential severe and unprecedented damage the reform could cause to the “democracy” that exists in Israel. Despite Israel constantly boasting that it is the only democracy in the middle east, Netanyahu and his divided cabinet has been pushing a law that would essentially give the government unchecked power, undermining whatever “democracy” they thought they had in Israel.
The reform had sparked nationwide protests, with hundreds of thousands taking to the streets, leading to a historic display of public dissent. Critics argued that the “reasonableness” law would undermine the country’s democracy by weakening the judicial system. The Supreme Court’s ruling adds to the challenges facing the current Israeli government, already under pressure domestically for its handling of the conflict. It came into the favour of the current government that one issue (Hamas) could unite the Israelis despite internal conflict.
The decision to withdraw troops from Gaza and the judicial setback reflect the evolving dynamics within Israel, both on the military and political fronts. The repercussions of these developments extend beyond national borders, as there are reports of Israel cutting back troops in case the Iranian threat poses even more of a danger to Israel than it already has. With only 15% of Israelis wanting Netanyahu to stay in office after the “war on Hamas” ends (conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute today on January 2nd), the real loser in the political sense is Netanyahu, as his only hope is to unite a divided nation based on the lie that Israel is the victim and is being oppressed when in reality they are the true oppressors and have so far victimised 22,000 people.
