Benjamin Netanyahu's government divided on post war phase, lack of consensus a headache for Israel PM

The cracks of division have started appearing in the Benjamin Netanyahu-led coalition government in the center. As Israel is moving towards a possible victory over Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the coalition government is lacking consensus on a plan going forward in the post-war phase.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is walking on a tightrope due to a lack of consensus in the present government at the centre. Discussions have already begun on the post-war phase in the predicament of Hamas's defeat in the Gaza Strip. The defeat of the terror outfit looks inevitable as Israel Defence Forces have made strong advances in the last couple of weeks.

Even Washington is keen on discussing the post-war phase with Israel. U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly is already asking for a tone-down approach to the Israelis in order to end the conflict and establish a two-state solution. A consensus in Washington has been reached over the propagation of a two-state solution.

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Israel's coalition government on Thursday held a meeting where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and coalition party members were also present. According to reports in Israeli media, the meeting turned fiery as no consensus was reached on any particular roadmap for the post-war phase. Notably, Netanyahu’s government has both right-wing and left-wing parties.

Israel defence minister Yoav Gallant who is seen as a moderate member of Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party kept forth a plan which was rejected by the far-right members in the coalition government. Yoav Gallant's proposal suggested Israel’s control over the Gaza borders while a multinational task force oversees economic development and reconstruction.
Under the proposed plan, the Palestinians in Gaza who have no ties to Hamas would administer civilian affairs in the Gaza Strip. The proposal denied the question of Israeli resettlement in the Gaza Strip post the defeat of Hamas. This didn’t go down well with the far-right members who are against the very idea of a two-state solution.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government has the support of just 64 members out of 120 members in the parliament. The populist leader is walking on a tightrope due to the thin line. In such a scenario, Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly delayed any further decision on the post-war phase. Benjamin Netanyahu is also facing pressure from the U.S. to tone down its aggressive operations.