With Leaders of His Army and Intelligence Present: Netanyahu Declares "War" on the Negev

After weeks of "war" declared by Ben Gvir, waged by police, border guards, and the national guard against the Negev, which resulted in a martyr and dozens of wounded and detainees in the Tarabin al-Sana village, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended with his Defense Minister Israel Katz, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, the head of the "Shabak," and all other military, security, and media teams accompanying him during his visit to the combat fronts in Gaza, Syria, and Lebanon in full scope, to the extent that it seemed the only thing missing from the scene was the wearing of combat helmets and donning bulletproof vests.

Netanyahu outlined his visit with a central, unequivocal goal, stating it plainly: "to restore the Negev to the State of Israel," or in the language of the statement issued by his office, "to strengthen control over the land." Meanwhile, the practical messages conveyed by the timing of the visit and the nature of the delegation, which included senior leaders of military and security agencies, were clearer and more stringent, indicating that the entire Israeli government and its various arms stand behind the "war" that Ben Gvir has been waging for over a month on the Negev, and that the army and the "Shabak" and other forces engaged in fighting on other fronts in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria are ready to intervene in the Negev as well if necessary. This was expressed by Netanyahu's assertion: "We will succeed in restoring sovereignty over the Negev just as we have succeeded in other matters we have undertaken," referring to the other fronts.

While some politicians and commentators have considered Netanyahu's visit a form of competing with Ben Gvir and an attempt to cut him off from reaping electoral benefits from the "war" on the Negev by himself, which is an aspect we do not underestimate, it is known that internal political competition and extending his rule have been and still are for Netanyahu an essential factor in fueling and prolonging the wars in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and other front lines. However, what is new is the evocation of military and security leaders and the issuance of militaristic statements regarding the restoration of Israeli sovereignty and the re-occupation of an area that was occupied by "Haganah" forces in 1948, which has been part of Israel for 78 years, alongside the threat of declaring war on groups of citizens who have held Israeli identity for eight decades.

They have stated that Ben Gvir's "war" on the Negev, which replicated methods of oppression used in the occupied territories since 1967, including imposing curfews on entire villages, closing streets for extended periods with concrete blocks, executing arbitrary arrests, raiding homes, and deploying sound grenades and tear gas – which have so far resulted in a martyr and dozens of wounded and detained – is part of his electoral campaign. And now Netanyahu, who has successfully employed the army and security agencies under his command as Prime Minister to continue fueling war on various fronts for his personal and party interests, which apparently coincide entirely with Israel's interests and the essence of colonial Zionism based on aggression, expansion, and control of Palestinian and Arab lands.

We previously pointed out that Ben Gvir begins in the Negev, awakening a dormant front, and that the mentioned front starting in the Negev as a hot confrontation point will extend to the Triangle, the coast, and the Galilee as well. However, it must be emphasized following Netanyahu's visit to the Negev that the issue is not limited to a deranged minister and the repressive forces under his command. Although Ben Gvir's "war" on the Negev enjoyed near consensus in Israel, it has become a matter for the government, army, and security agencies, involving "restoration of sovereignty." What does it mean for Netanyahu to declare that his government will restore Israel's sovereignty over the Negev in the presence of the Deputy Chief of Staff, amid an ongoing confrontation with its Arab Palestinian residents for over a month?

Thus, Netanyahu did not attend with the army and the "Shabak" merely to compete with Ben Gvir, but to bolster Ben Gvir and his religious Zionist, settlement agenda aimed at escalating conflict on all fronts towards resolution, considering the interior as a primary front, which is the guiding approach for Israel at this stage.