Israel won’t stop Rafah Op until goals of war are met, ex-military commander says

Peloni: There is no possibility that Israel can accept defeat in this war, none at all.  Whatever the costs, it must end in victory, and the quicker, the better – and this will result in fewer lives being lost on all sides.

Netanyahu:  ‘If we have to conquer Gaza with our fingernails, we are going to do it. We’re going to do it even if you don’t give us ammunition, even if you don’t give us weapons — we’re going in and we’re not going to lose the war.’”

Warren Kinsella | Toronto Sun | May 7, 2024

Israel won’t stop its military advance against the Hamas stronghold of Rafah, says a former senior ranking Israeli military commander — whether the United States and Western allies approve or not.

And Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no choice, says retired Israeli Brigadier General Amir Avivi, who spoke to the Toronto Sun on Tuesday, the morning after news broke that Hamas is now prepared to sign a ceasefire deal.Quoting what his close friend and Caesarea neighbour Netanyahu has told him, Avivi said: “Nothing will stop us now from going into Rafah.”That even includes the Biden administration, says Avivi, who has founded and leads a powerful political and cultural force in Israeli society: The Israel Defence and Security Forum, which is made up of more than 30,000 former IDF soldiers and officers.“Israel set very clear goals for this war,” said Avivi. “The complete destruction of Hamas as a governmental and military entity, bringing back all the hostages, and making sure that there will be never never again be a terror army in Gaza.”Those goals simply have not been achieved yet, says Avivi, who has significant contacts within the Netanyahu coalition, and is regularly consulted with by key government ministers. Says Avivi: “To achieve these goals, you basically need to conquer the whole Gaza Strip — and there is no way to destroy Hamas without taking over the whole Gaza Strip.”

But that’s not what U.S. President Joe Biden, Canada and other Israeli allies want. They’ve repeatedly said they strongly oppose any Israeli military action on Rafah, where a million Palestinians have congregated to escape the fighting.

When the news about Hamas’ decision to accept a ceasefire deal broke here late Monday night local time, it was immediately greeted with muted hostility in Jerusalem. Israel hadn’t even seen the terms of the deal, Netanyahu government sources said.

Notwithstanding that seeming opposition to a ceasefire deal, Israel announced that it was still willing to send a team to Egypt to look at the details and possibly negotiate. Asked about that apparent contradiction — keep fighting but also re-start negotiations — Avivi says:“Israel is saying nothing will stop us from going to Rafah — even if the U.S. is against it. Even if the whole world is against it. In one of their meetings, (Netanyahu) said to Biden that, ‘If we have to conquer Gaza with our fingernails, we are going to do it. We’re going to do it even if you don’t give us ammunition, even if you don’t give us weapons — we’re going in and we’re not going to lose the war.’”Participating in the negotiations in Egypt doesn’t change that imperative, says Avivi.