Monday, October 19, 2026

Netanyahu Caught in Pincers

 Nadene Goldfoot                                               

                       Israeli soldiers operating in the Gaza Strip on October 14. (IDF

Netanyahu is caught  in a Military Tactic: A pincer movement (or double envelopment), a tactical maneuver where a force attacks an enemy from both flanks simultaneously. From one side is Trump and the other is his own Likud on the matter of Security of October 7th attack.  

Trump may be backing Netanyahu before Israel's elections now, but that hasn't always been the case.  President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have coordinated on military actions and strategic goals regarding Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, though points of friction have also emerged over regional linkages.

Alignment on Iran Regime Threat: Trump and Netanyahu have shared the overarching goal of neutralizing Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities, with Trump supporting Netanyahu's focus on eliminating the threat posed by Iran.

Conditioned Israeli Attacks / Lebanon Friction: Trump has sought to condition or coordinate regional de-escalation, including linking aspects of the campaign to Beirut and the broader Mideast. However, Netanyahu has rejected linking the conflict in Lebanon (and ongoing Israeli strikes there) to a potential ceasefire or security arrangement in the Gulf.

Gaza and Regional Plans: Netanyahu rejected elements of Trump's broader 15-point Gaza proposal, insisting on no military withdrawal until Hamas is completely disarmed, creating diplomatic friction alongside their joint anti-Iran campaign.

Sticking Points and Status
  • Israel's Stance: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially rejected the 15-point document, stating that Israeli forces will not withdraw from Gaza until Hamas is genuinely and completely disarmed of all heavy, less heavy, and light weapons. Netanyahu also stated that no Palestinian state will be established in Gaza or the West Bank while he is in office.
  •                                          Current Implementation:

  • Hamas's Stance: Hamas conditioned the surrendering of its heavy weapons on an end to Israeli military actions/strikes and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory. (In other words, Hamas expects Israel to withdraw out of the territory completely and stop all shooting in defense of themselves before they do a thing.)  
  • The roadmap remains stalled due to the deep divide over whether disarmament precedes Israeli withdrawal or vice versa. 

               Core Pillars of the 15-Point Proposal
  • Principles: Commits to Trump's Comprehensive Plan and UN Security Council Resolution 2803 to end the destruction, achieve Israeli withdrawal, and launch Palestinian governance. The International Verification Committee (IVC) verifies commitments before moving to Phase 2.
  • Governance ("One Authority, One Law, One Weapon"): The National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG)—an independent Palestinian technocratic/administrative body—assumes civilian and security control and maintains public services independently. Vetted police integrate under NCAG, while heavy weapons, tunnels, and militia weapons are decommissioned gradually.
  • Security & Forces: A Temporary International Stabilization Force separates forces and secures aid while Israel executes a phased military withdrawal.
  • Reconstruction: Supervised by the Board of Peace and NCAG, tied to a $2.45 billion initial recovery plan (and a larger 10-year framework)
Let's start with the Board of Peace supervising Trump's proposal to end the destruction or war going on in Israel and Lebanon which has been taken over by Hezbollah directed from Iran.  We're really fighting Iran who wants to put and end to Israel as well as the USA.
Israel reportedly blocks Board of Peace base in Gaza.  The IDF has reported 31 cease-fire violations from October 1 to October 15th so far.  

The Board of Peace is chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump and includes an Executive Board as well as country and leadership representatives.  Executive Board Members
High Representative for Gaza       
  • Nickolay Mladenov (High Representative for Gaza) Nikolay Evtimov Mladenov (Bulgarian: Николай Евтимов Младенов; born 5 May 1972) is a Bulgarian politician and diplomat, currently serving as High Representative for Gaza since January 2026.
  •   Mladenov welcomed the Israel–United Arab Emirates peace agreement, adding that it would stop Israel's annexation plans which the UN has repeatedly called for to be stopped and hoped it will restart dialogue between Israel and Palestinians.  In May, during a news conference in Jerusalem, Mladenov stated that Hamas must disarm but not "disappear" as a political movement in Gaza.  Israeli policy institutions noted that, despite the United Nations' limited formal leverage in the conflict, Mladenov maintained working relations with Israel's political leadership. The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) observed that his engagement was shaped by public criticism of both Israeli settlement expansion and Palestinian incitement to violence.  
Participating Country and Government Representatives with 8 or more Middle Easterners most likely against Israel with Only Israel On The Defense
The board also includes representatives from numerous participating countries and governments, such as Edi Rama (Albania), Javier Milei (Argentina), Nikol Pashinyan (Armenia), Ilham Aliyev (Azerbaijan), Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (Bahrain), Alyaksandr Lukashenka (Belarus), Iliana Iotova (Bulgaria), Hun Manet (Cambodia), Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (Egypt), Nayib Bukele (El Salvador), Viktor Orbán (Hungary), Prabowo Subianto (Indonesia), Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel), Abdullah II (Jordan), Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (Kazakhstan), Vjosa Osmani (Kosovo), Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (Kuwait), Khurelsukh Ukhnaa (Mongolia), Aziz Akhannouch (Morocco), Shehbaz Sharif (Pakistan), Santiago Peña (Paraguay), Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (Qatar), Mohammed bin Salman (Saudi Arabia), Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Türkiye), Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (United Arab Emirates), Shavkat Mirziyoyev (Uzbekistan), and Tô Lâm (Vietnam).  
Evidently the Board of Peace has accomplished nothing.  
Now, Netanyahu's security defense.  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denies personal responsibility for the October 7, 2023, security failures, dismissing prior intelligence warnings as "fake news" and filing defamation lawsuits against media outlets reporting them.  
Washington Post:  Bad timing as elections coming on October 27th are going on for PM evidently right now as if Benjamin didn't have enough to worry about...The Israeli election on 27 October is one of the most important in the country’s history, the first since 2022 and the Hamas-led attacks of 2023, the genocide accusations in Gaza and the war on Iran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier and now seeking a seventh term, faces wide criticism for his handling of the wars, which have isolated Israel internationally.
 Netanyahu has strongly refuted reports—including claims from Egyptian intelligence and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan—that he was personally warned about an imminent major Hamas operation. He has labeled these reports fabricated and initiated legal action against reporting news organizations like Haaretz. 
Blaming Security Chiefs: He has rejected direct accountability, asserting that top intelligence and military chiefs did not wake him or properly elevate warning signs to his level prior to the attack.
  • Updated National Security Doctrine: In October 2026, Netanyahu publicly released an upgraded national security doctrine shifting core principles:
    • Prevention and Offense: Prioritizing preemption and aggressive strikes over passive containment and defense.
    • Home Front and Border Barriers: Highlighting completed and accelerated border barriers (such as along the Egyptian and Jordanian borders) featuring anti-drone systems and offensive staging points.
The "Fear of Miscalculation" Claim: Netanyahu stated that intelligence and military chiefs explicitly avoided waking him on the night of the attack. He asserted they mistakenly believed the activity was a drill or minor event and feared that alerting him would prompt a heavy response, accidentally triggering a wider conflict.  

Accusations of Intentional Sidelining: In more recent public remarks, Netanyahu has escalated his stance, claiming that senior security leadership intentionally kept him uninformed. He argued that if he had been notified, he would have instantly placed the entire military on high alert, canceled events like the Nova music festival, and deployed the air force.

Public Backlash and Defamation Lawsuits: These claims have drawn intense domestic criticism from opposition leaders and the families of victims, who accuse him of deflecting accountability. Furthermore, former Shin Bet security chief Ronen Bar filed a defamation lawsuit against Netanyahu, accusing the Prime Minister of fabricating narratives to actively shift blame away from his long-term regional policies,

The Times of India ran this story:  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that intelligence and military chiefs feared waking him on the night of October 7, 2023, believing he could inadvertently trigger a Hamas attack, as he again blamed the security establishment for failing to anticipate the assault.
“If we wake up the prime minister, he’ll cause Hamas to attack us without meaning to,” Netanyahu asserted the security chiefs believed, as quoted by The Times of Israel.
  • Following the 7 October attack, Israel intensified its military actions in the West Bank (Judea-Samaria). These included raids in Jenin and attacks on hospitals, paramedics, and medical personnel.

  •  In a statement, a Doctors Without Borders representative stated, "Since October, we have witnessed the shooting and killing of a 14-year-old boy in the hospital compound, soldiers firing live rounds and tear gas at the hospital several times, paramedics forced to strip and kneel in the street."  This group has taken on the attitude of many today:  , so its official position strongly criticizes the Israeli government's military conduct and policies in Gaza and the West Bank.  No one understands the shock of Israelis and its affect after enduring the October 7th unbelievable attack.  It was like your most horrible Halloween film had just come to life within your life and worse.  Besides that, look at the source of those reporting and what they hope to accomplish.

  •  I'm not surprised that there were some groups of Israelis ready to get even in a likewise manner after this shock they have gone through and were morally damaged.  What they all needed was some empathy, but instead were attacked harder than ever by many others. In Judaism, personal revenge, "getting even," or inflicting extra harm or cruelty on an enemy out of spite or hatred is strictly prohibited.No Personal Vengeance: The Torah explicitly forbids taking revenge or bearing a grudge (Leviticus 19:18). Even during wartime, actions must be guided by necessity, defense, and objective legal or moral bounds, not by personal malice, anger, or a desire to "do even worse".Strict Laws of Conduct (Tihur ha-Neshek): Jewish law (Halakha) mandates that warfare is strictly a matter of national defense or commanded duty—not emotional retaliation.  Requirement for Peace Terms: Even before engaging an enemy city, the Torah commands an attempt to offer terms of peace first (Deuteronomy 20:10)  Limits on Destruction: Soldiers are bound by rules such as bal tashchit (the prohibition against wanton destruction, such as cutting down fruit trees) and are required to allow safe passage for civilians trying to flee.  
The Torah never expected any enemy to do what these Palestinians did to our Israelis along the border, putting the whole tiny state of Israel into shock, a PTSD shock of all shocks.  For all those who took advantage and attacked Israel at their weakest time, even weaker than during the Yom Kippur War, somehow they will receive the punishment they deserve.  The primary group that attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, was Hamas (specifically its military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades), along with approximately 6,000 other Palestinian militants and allied armed groups from the Gaza Strip. Hamas receives funding from Iran.  



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