by Mish Shedlock, Mish Talk:
Tensions mount in Israel’s war cabinet as Benny Gantz, the chief political rival to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, plan to visit D.C.
At War With Itself
The Wall Street Journal reports Netanyahu’s War Cabinet Is at War With Itself
Fearing a breakdown in ties between the White House and Israel over the war in Gaza, Benny Gantz, chief political rival to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a minister in his wartime cabinet, planned a trip to Washington.
TRUTH LIVES on at https://sgtreport.tv/
“There’s only one prime minister,” Netanyahu told Gantz, who defied the prime minister and met with Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday.
The move by Gantz to pursue the trip to Washington came days after the third member of the wartime cabinet, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, demanded the government pass legislation to draft ultra-Orthodox men into the army—a move widely seen as one that could topple Netanyahu’s coalition that relies on two ultra-Orthodox political parties.
The three men are a team of rivals, each with their own bitter back story of gripes and slights against each other. Each also has their own political ambitions, with most polls showing Gantz would likely trounce Netanyahu if elections were held today.
“In inviting Benny Gantz to the White House, the administration is sending an unmistakable signal of unhappiness with Benjamin Netanyahu, concerns that he may no longer be the reliable predictable partner that the U.S. needs,” said Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former U.S. Mideast negotiator.
Both Gantz and Gallant, former senior generals, are pushing for policies supported by the security establishment but opposed by many in Netanyahu’s hard-right and religious coalition. The two have publicly pressed Netanyahu to come up with a plan for who should govern Gaza after the war, and Gantz has joined Gallant in pushing the prime minister to enlist ultra-Orthodox men into the military.
Both are issues that could bring down the prime minister’s coalition. Netanyahu’s coalition, the most right-wing, religious and ultranationalist in the country’s history, includes lawmakers who flatly reject U.S. plans for a reformed Palestinian Authority to take over in the Gaza Strip.
“There’s no simple solution here,” said Gideon Rahat, a professor of politics at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. “Netanyahu is really in trouble.”
Biden Announces Airdrop of Humanitarian Aid
U.S. to Deliver Aid to Gaza Through Military Airdrops
Together with Jordan, the United States airdropped the first package of aid into Gaza today.
The amount of aid flowing to Gaza is not nearly enough and we will continue to pull out every stop we can to get more aid in. https://t.co/K4GHVwpcNL
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 2, 2024
Politico reports Gaza Airdrop Has Begun
The 38,000 meals were sent into Gaza just days after the United Nations raised the alarm, saying that nearly one quarter of Palestinians are a mere “one step away” from famine.
The 38,000 meals were sent into Gaza just days after the United Nations raised the alarm, saying that nearly one quarter of Palestinians — 576,000 people — are a mere “one step away” from famine, and all 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza have “woefully inadequate” food supplies.
Famine
One quarter of Gaza’s population, roughly 576,000 people, are near famine.
I am always skeptical of UN reports, but this one rings true. Even if that is half true, it’s an epic disaster.
Please note the math. The US delivered 38,000 meals to 576,000 people.
