TEHRAN — With Benjamin Netanyahu losing the battle to the Knesset, “the army that will never taste victory” is on its path to losing yet another battle to the Palestinians in al-Quds. The main question however is why now?

The 71-year-old Israeli prime minister is known for his thirst for power. He has run Israel into the grounds for 15 years, but mostly, he is known for his idiocy. From awfully wrong predictions, such as “Iran will have a nuclear bomb in five years from now” to losing the 33-day war to the Lebanese Hezbollah, along with losing the 22-day war to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. 

The old fox is charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. When you are Israel's longest-serving prime minister you make stupid decisions. There is a long list of Netanyahu's increasingly desperate attempts to maintain power. From accepting gifts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars from wealthy friends such as Hollywood film producer Arnon Milchan and Australian billionaire James Packer to attempting to orchestrate favorable coverage in a major Israeli newspaper in return for restricting distribution of a free pro-Netanyahu tabloid.

His recent effort, however, was to get into a full-fledged war with the Palestinians just before celebrating their most important religious Eid, Eid al-Fitr, which falls on May 14. There is an Islamic saying by one of the Imams that says “Thank God who has made our enemies fools.” When you look at the recent developments in al-Quds, you realize that Bibi Netanyahu falls exactly under that saying. 

On Sunday, Israel’s channel 7 announced that the Israeli security cabinet has passed a plan that allows the government to launch massive airstrikes on the Gaza Strip without having the need to attack the area on the ground. 

Let’s recap for just a brief moment. How did it all begin?

It all started on May 6, when the Israeli Supreme Court decided a forced eviction of the Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem. The Palestinians protested over the unfair ruling, as they were forced to leave their homes. Sheikh Jarrah have witnessed many tragic scenes over the past few days; and what makes it even more tragic is that it all happened in the holy month of Ramadan, when the Palestinians were fasting. Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, and dispersed the Palestinian worshippers elsewhere in East Jerusalem. 

On May 9, the Israeli forces raided the Al-Aqsa Mosque by throwing tear gas and stun grenades into the mosque, as the defenseless Palestinians were busy worshipping. The Islamic Jihad, Hamas’ fellow resistance movement, warned the Israeli regime against further aggressive actions, stating that all Palestinian resistance groups align their actions with what is occurring in al-Quds. Therefore, on May 10, they fired 150 rockets into Israel from Gaza. Clearly surprised, the Israeli army said that they have only succeeded to intercept only one rocket. 

The recent developments can be interpreted as one of Netanyahu’s desperate efforts to stay in power. Sami Abu Shehadeh, Palestinian Knesset member and leader of the Balad party, has said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allowed for an “escalation” in a bid to remain in power, according to Al Jazeera.

“In order to survive this political crisis he finds himself in now, and in order for him not to lose control and not to lose his seat as prime minister … he is ready to do anything,” Shehadeh said.

“What is happening here is a clear political decision that Netanyahu is responsible for to keep power,” Shehadeh pointed out.

What Shehadeh raised is something we should carefully consider. He is referring to a possibility that Bibi announces an emergency situation. Having failed to form a coalition government, Reuven Rivlin, the Israeli president asked Netanyahu’s arch nemesis, Yair Lapid, to form a government. If Lapid fails to secure a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel will witness its fifth election in two years, but that is only one of his failures in domestic politics. 

He has failed to bridge the ideological differences in Israel due to various reasons. 

First is the sabotage attack on the Natanz nuclear facility. It did not work, as Iran began producing enriched uranium with 60% purity, sending a loud and clear message that Israel should be scared of Iran, not vice versa. The act of sabotage at the Natanz nuclear site backfired horribly on Israel. It accelerated the process of negotiations, with all sides coming to a mutual understanding about the deal.  

Second, the Biden administration has deep ideological differences with Netanyahu, despite Biden’s friendship with Bibi. On the issue of the Vienna negotiations, Israel has repeatedly stated that it opposes the idea of negotiations, let alone the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). They have had various interviews, sent private messages through various channels, and so on, but the Biden foreign policy team is determined to revive the nuclear deal. Therefore, he played his last card. 

Bibi had no chance. He had lost the gamble. Therefore, he put all his cards on the deck, starting a dangerous battle with the Jerusalemites in a crucial time of the year. Clearly, he doesn’t know that the timing of the battle has ignited a passion in the Palestinians to resist harder.

As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution rightly predicted in his speech on International Quds Day on May 7, “the downward spiral leading to the decline of the hostile Zionist regime has started and will not stop.” 

It is just a matter of time.

SA/PA