ALBAWABA – Israeli media have been very critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, calling its actions "disgraceful" in many areas. The reaction comes as internal tensions rise and France's plan to recognize a Palestinian state causes debate around the world.
Journalists on Israel's Channel 13 had strong reactions to what French President Emmanuel Macron said recently. Macron said that France would officially recognize the State of Palestine at the September UN General Assembly. Macron also asked for an end to the war in Gaza right away and stressed the need to keep people safe.
Israeli leaders and the media quickly told France to change its mind, and many people wondered if Paris was "rewarding terrorism." The US quickly confirmed its backing for Israel, which was different from what Macron said.
Ofir Bronstein, an Israeli advisor to the French president, said that Hamas had taken advantage of the lack of power in Gaza and revealed that he had told Macron to back the idea of a Palestinian state. Macron didn't say that he agreed with the idea, but he also didn't say that he didn't.
Israeli media said that France was acting politically in a two-sided way by continuing to deny Palestinians their rights, which they said was a major cause of the October 7 killings and Operation "Al-Aqsa Flood."
In the West Bank, there was "disgraceful performance."
In a local editorial, Dror Etkes, who used to be a field worker for the Peace Now movement, gave Netanyahu a very harsh review of how he is managing the West Bank. Etkes told Israeli media that the present government has "demonstrated disgraceful operational capabilities" in many areas, mainly when it comes to settlement policies and running the government.
Etkes said that the far-right, especially Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, now has real power in the West Bank instead of the troops. Basically, he said, Smotrich uses a personal agent to handle settlement growth and civil issues, leaving the official civil administration out of the picture.
He said that this change has led to the selective application of Israeli law, which is harshly applied to Palestinians while ignoring breaches by settlers. It was told by Etkes that this trend has gotten worse under Netanyahu's present government.
He said that the government's "settlement triangle" was made up of three main parts: the building of over 100 new settlements; the moving of 80–90 Palestinian towns; and the taking of large areas of land. Etkes says that the government has given power to extreme groups of settlers at the cost of Palestinian rights and military control.
"Erasure of Gaza" is pushed by ministers.
Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said on Channel 12 that the Gaza Strip should be fully turned into a Jewish area and that Palestinians would no longer be allowed to live there. This caused even more debate.
Eliyahu didn't like the idea of Jews living in "enclosed cantons." He said that Palestinians should be kept away from everyone else instead. "They'll never stay there." "Never," he said.
Such language supports the idea that the government is actively working to "erasure of Gaza," as Channel 12's reporter pointed out. She warned that these words will do a lot of damage to foreign relations when they are turned into other languages.
Political expert Amit Segal made it clear that these unpopular policies are not just being talked about; they are being put into action. He said that Israeli officials should know that their words have an effect on people all over the world, which strengthens the case for Palestinians abroad.
At the same time, Yinon Magal, a host on Channel 14, criticized other reporters for spreading what he called "emotional propaganda" about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. He didn't believe the stories of famine and said the media was spreading fake pity by jokingly saying they were planning donation drives to help the people of Gaza.
