Is This Netanyahu's BIGGEST Mistake Yet?

Right, so amidst all the Donald Trump ensuing chaos where the matter of Gaza is concerned, and who the big orange man baby might or might not be speaking to, be it Israel or Hamas, or Trump just talking to himself, perfectly believable isn’t it? Well events have moved on slightly in respect of who is giving the orders in Israel and for as much as the hard right of Benjamin Netanyahu’s depraved coalition government might cheer this shift, there ought to be a note of caution, because on the face of it, the new chief of staff replacing the outgoing Herzi Halevi, Eyal Zamir, is a Netanyahu fanboy with a Rambo complex. He is hardline, he has a track record of backing military aggression and he has come into the post promising that 2025 is going to be a year of war, even as strained negotiations to try and get the Gaza ceasefire back on track continue. He’s the last person you want in charge of the IDF at this point in time, but its not about peace, where Netanyahu is concerned is it? And he needs to know that we can see what he’s doing here.
Right, so the appointment of Eyal Zamir as the new Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Forces, the IDF, is bad news for all who want to see a resolution in Gaza and across the Middle East and may be something the Israeli leadership end up living to regret, especially given the antagonistic start he’s got off to. Zamir is seen as an ally to Benjamin Netanyahu, he was Netanyahu’s military secretary from 2012 to 2015, before being promoted to lead Israel’s southern command. He is seen as a hardline figure with a history of advocating aggressive military strategies and his appointment, along with his rhetoric seems certain to drive further destabilisation in Gaza and the wider region. His appointment has been orchestrated by Netanyahu, deranged defence minister Israel Katz and has pleased his far right government coalition allies no end, but for my money I think Zamir’s appointment is likely to backfire on Israel, exacerbate regional tensions, make even more blatantly obvious Israel has no desire for peace and by rights should isolate Israel even further on the international stage.
Eyal Zamir is a career military officer with a reputation for being hawkish close to Benjamin Netanyahu. Zamir joined the IDF in 1983 and rose through the ranks, serving in various command roles, including as the head of the Southern Command, as aforementioned, which oversees operations in Gaza. He is known for his role in Operation Protective Edge in 2014, a devastating military campaign in Gaza that resulted in significant Palestinian casualties and widespread destruction.
Zamir’s close ties to Netanyahu are particularly concerning. He served as Netanyahu’s military secretary from 2012 to 2015 and during this time, Zamir was instrumental in shaping Netanyahu’s security policies, including his confrontational stance toward Hamas and Iran. This relationship has led many to view Zamir as much as a political appointee as a military leader. His appointment as Chief of Staff is widely seen as a reflection of Netanyahu’s desire to maintain control over the direction the IDF is taking especially when it comes to Gaza.
Since assuming his new role, Zamir has made it clear that he has got no intention of scaling back Israel’s military operations in Gaza. In a statement shortly after his appointment, he declared that the “mission against Hamas is not accomplished,” signalling his commitment to continuing the war. This stance obviously aligns with Netanyahu’s rhetoric, which has consistently emphasized the need to “eradicate” Hamas, total victory and all the rest of it, the death toll in Gaza evidently not high enough even as international pressure for meaningfully engaging in a permanent ceasefire mounts.
Zamir’s new position and plans and Netanyahu’s vision for Gaza is deeply troubling in how well the two align. Israel has advocated for a prolonged military presence in the territory, keeping control of buffer zones like the Philadelphi Corridor and the ongoing yet seemingly unachievable goal of the destruction of Hamas, something Israel have objectively failed to do and if anything served as a recruitment tool for them instead. These measures, as usual, get framed as necessary for Israel’s security, their security superceding that of anyone else around them as always seems to be the case, is likely to make the humanitarian crisis in Gaza even worse and cause further harm to the Palestinian population there. Zamir’s approach, in lockstep with the likes of Netanyahu and Katz and their plans also undermines efforts by Egypt and other Arab states to broker a lasting ceasefire and rebuild Gaza, also now being undermined as Donald Trump doesn’t like the plans, there’s no profit in it for him personally, as is clearly the case there.
Zamir’s appointment has, as a result of all of the above, been warmly welcomed by the far-right factions of Netanyahu’s coalition government, including Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the Religious Zionism party and the guy who right now has Netanyahu’s fate in his hands, threatening to leave the coalition and collapse the government each time Netanyahu does something he doesn’t like. This support from the far-right underscores the ideological alignment between Zamir hard nosed approach to war and the situation in Gaza and elsewhere in the Middle East and that Netanyahu’s government, which has increasingly embraced extremist policies, reliant on the likes of Smotrich to stay in power as he is and this move continues to shore up Netanyahu’s position, which is all he actually cares about, as we ought to know by now, especially if you are a regular viewer.
The embrace of Zamir by figures like Smotrich also highlights the growing influence of the far-right in shaping Israel’s military and political strategies when pleasing them is now a factor of consideration in all things, even this. This is obviously a significant concern, as this influence pushes an ever growing confrontational approach to the genocide of Gaza and beyond, peace never on the table as a land grab for the far rights settler backers being their eventual aim, it is why the likes of Smotrich loved Trump’s vision for Gaza so much – no more Palestinians. Therefore, appointments such as this one of Eyal Zamir is a clear indication that Netanyahu’s government has no intention of pursuing a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians whatsoever, it nails on the complete opposite.
Instead, what we get is a doubling down on a strategy of military dominance, which is likely to have dire consequences for both Israelis and Palestinians as conflict grows and Eyal Zamir seems absolutely the sort to keep driving that.
One of the most alarming aspects of Zamir’s leadership which lends further credence to everything I’ve just talked about, is his apparent enthusiasm for war. In a recent announcement, he declared that 2025 would be a “year of war,” suggesting that he sees military conflict as an inevitable and even desirable outcome, certainly it is for the far right of Israel’s government and therefore by association, Netanyahu himself as well, hardly a newsflash I know. This tub thumping, banging the drums of war kind of rhetoric is only going to encourage and drive their continuation of the ongoing violence that we’ve seen for 15 months in Gaza – ceasefire abuses aside - and beyond, exacerbating broader regional tensions. Zamir’s willingness to embrace even more war as a solution to Israel’s security challenges reflects a dangerous mindset that prioritizes short-term military gains over long-term stability. You only get stability when people sit down and talk, Zamir’s appointment makes it even more clear that that isn’t the plan for Netanyahu and his government.
Zamir’s apparent love for war is also evident in his early actions as Chief of Staff. Shortly after taking office, he ordered a re-examination of the IDF’s investigations into the October 7 attacks, signalling his intent to take a more aggressive approach to future operations. He also dissolved the IDF’s Iran unit, a move that has raised questions about his priorities and his willingness to confront Iran directly. These changes suggest that Zamir is preparing for a more confrontational and militaristic stance elsewhere, likely Gaza in his bid to eliminate Hamas as per orders, but easily this could be the West Bank as well.
Zamir’s appointment has significant implications for Gaza and the wider Middle East. His commitment to continuing the war against Hamas is inevitably going to prolong the suffering of Gaza’s civilian population, who have already endured years of blockade and repeated military assaults, none of their suffering began on October 7th 2023 after all, it goes back decades. The humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been made orders of magnitude worse by the genocide, shows no signs of abating under Zamir’s leadership. Instead, his policies and rhetoric are a sign that his instruction will likely to deepen the devastation, making it even more difficult to begin the process of rebuilding and recovery in Gaza.
The impact of Zamir’s appointment extends beyond Gaza though. His focus on military solutions and his willingness to embrace war as a strategy are likely to escalate tensions across the region. Israel is still engaged in conflicts with Lebanon as well as in Syria, again, illegal invasions in both territories, but Zamir is hardly likely to back off either, more likely that his aggressive posture will risk drawing Israel into broader regional confrontations, with potentially catastrophic consequences.
Zamir’s early actions as Chief of Staff have also raised concerns about his leadership style and his willingness to sideline figures seen as having failed in their duties, including the propaganda machine as one of his first moves was the de facto sacking of the guy this channel likes to refer to as Mr Pointy, IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari, who has been central to trying to flog the dead horse that Israel are the victims here, that they are in the right, despite his too often blatant lies being torn to shreds making him a figure of ridicule. Hagari’s removal is seen as a sign that Zamir is not tolerant of perceived failure and can also be seen as a consolidation of power and a driving of the IDF even further to the right. This move has been criticized as undermining the IDF’s professionalism and independence, and further politicising the military in a manner that favours Netanyahu and his hard right ‘bosses.’
The appointment of Eyal Zamir as Israel’s new Chief of Staff is a deeply troubling development that is likely to backfire on Israel. Zamir’s hardline approach, his close ties to Netanyahu, and his apparent love for war make him a dangerous choice to lead the IDF at this critical juncture. His commitment to continuing the war against Hamas, his disregard for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and his willingness to embrace conflict as a solution to Israel’s security challenges are likely to increase regional tensions and isolate Israel further on the global stage on top of that that Netanyahu and Co have managed all by themselves.
Zamir’s appointment is a direct reflection of the growing influence of the far-right in Israel’s government, which is increasingly embracing extremist policies. This trend is deeply concerning, as it undermines the prospects for a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians and reinforces the confrontational approach to the conflict Israel is widely seen to be driving.
Ultimately, Zamir’s leadership is likely to deepen Israel’s entanglement in Gaza and the broader Middle East, with dire consequences for both Israelis and Palestinians and he needs watching over what seems inevitably to come, which is a return to wider war and genocide.
Meanwhile, whilst Israel seems intent on driving its military ever further to the right, Hamas have had Israel in a right flap because it would appear they’ve been negotiating directly with Donald Trump’s administration! The guy handing all the weapons to Israel is chatting with the enemy? Well what could all that be about then? Are Hamas more reasonable in negotiations despite their terrorist designation? That would say a lot for Israel wouldn’t it? Get all the details of that story in this video recommendation here as your suggested next watch. Please do also hit like share and subscribe to the channel if you have not already done so, so as to ensure you don’t miss out on all new daily content as well as supporting the channel at the same time which is massively appreciated, holding power to account for ordinary working class people and I will hopefully catch you on the next vid. Cheers folks.