An assessment by the CIA and obtained by CNN reveals that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu likely believes he can evade pressure from the Biden administration to formulate a clear post-war plan for the Gaza Strip. The June 3 report suggests Netanyahu is confident in his ability to withstand US pressure and maintain support from his security chiefs and governing partners by discussing future plans for Gaza in vague terms.

According to the report, Netanyahu will likely only engage on the issue of post-war Gaza after achieving “what he sees as key security benchmarks, which may take months.” These benchmarks include completing “major military operations” and killing Hamas’s military wing commander Mohammed Deif.

The CIA assessment comes amid a shift in how the Biden administration views Israel, with the US government increasingly seeing Israel as “an unpredictable foreign government to be analyzed and understood,” rather than a trusted partner, according to the assessment.

The report’s release coincides with the expected announcement by war cabinet minister Benny Gantz that he will withdraw his party from the government, fulfilling an ultimatum he set to Netanyahu last month. Gantz had demanded a commitment to an agreed-upon vision for the Gaza conflict, including stipulating who might rule the territory in a scenario where Hamas has been defeated.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)