Who echoes Giora Eiland? 

The new "Generals’ Plan" offers a victory in the war through a "full siege", and very quickly receives a campaign with billboards and reaches discussions in the government. Who is behind it and what does it have to do with the government, the Ali school and Smotrich?

By Yoav Hareven

Editor Maayan Galili

Translation by Google Translate with minor edits by Lior Suchoy

Date of original publication: 17/9/2024

Original Hebrew text: https://www.rosamedia.org/episodes/articles/51

To the cheers of centre and the right-wing [political – LS] journalists and propagandists, a short and edited video was distributed at the beginning of the month, in which Major General [MG – LS] Giora Eiland [גיורא איילנד – LS] describes the "Generals’ Plan" [Tokhnit Ha’Alufim תוכנית האלופים – LS], or in its full name: "The Generals’ Plan: Humanitarian aid as a strategic lever for the return of the hostages and the defeat of Hamas". In the video, Eiland calls for a complete blockade of the northern part of the Gaza Strip, including the City of Gaza, after giving a week's notice, during which the 300,000 residents [which did not adhere to previous calls to leave– LS] will evacuate to the South [of the Gaza Strip – LS] (of course – YH). According to the plan, a blockade that will include preventing the entry of food, fuel and water, will lead to the surrender of the 5,000 Hamas operatives who will remain behind [to fight – LS] (of course – YH). After repeating this tactic in other parts of the [Gaza – LS] Strip [it will lead – LS] to the total surrender of Hamas and the release of the [Israeli] hostages [held by Hamas and other militias – LS] (and as far as I understand also to world peace, the eradication of poverty and the arrival of the Messiah on the back of a pink unicorn – YH). In general, such plans, like Giora Eiland himself, are not worthy of anything but an eye roll, but it turns out that behind the new campaign is not only the MG’s endless yearning for attention but also dangerous and powerful elements in the right-wing settler [movement – LS]. In the broad context, the [General’s – LS] Plan is presented by its supporters as an alternative to the cabinet's war policy. However not only does the plan not threaten Netanyahu – but it is a direct continuation of his and his government's main messages since 7/10: dehumanisation of hundreds of thousands of people, hollow slogans about the use of military force, and sacrificing the hostages on the altar of war.

Giora Eiland, for the benefit of those who have not yet had the privilege of being exposed to the charming man with the enormous brain, was honourable discharged from the IDF with the rank of MG about 20 years ago. [Eiland – LS] served under [Ariel – LS] Sharon [11th PM of Israel between 2001-2006 – LS] as head of the National Security Council, and since then has been hopping between numerous business and public ventures that open their doors or wallets to him, from Black Cube [private intelligence agency – LS] to the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) [המכון למחקרי ביטחון לאומי – LS]. During the Covid period he was one of the members of the "Covid Civil Cabinet" [קבינט הקורונה האזרחי – LS], a sort of civil 'shadow government' founded by then MK Naftali Bennett, which included other graceful and useful figures such as former MK Abir Kara, the economist Omer Moav and CEO of the Kohelet Policy Forum [right-wing Israeli think tank; see comment below – LS] Meir Rubin. While during the Covid period Eiland flirted with the Kohelet Policy Forum, in the period of the government’s judicial takeover [see comment below – LS] Eiland was part of the attempts to promote the compromise [between the government and the resisting public – LS], led by Prof. Yuval Elbashan, and later explicitly came out against the government’s takeover plan, and supported withholding service in the reserve army [see comment below – LS]. So, considering all the skips and jumps, there is no doubt that Eiland belongs to the anti-Netanyahu camp [in Israeli politics – LS]. Despite this, the MG is among the most dedicated spokespeople for the government's policy.

Since the beginning of the war, Eiland has appeared on a regular basis in the news studios, promoting the idea that a humanitarian crisis should be deliberately created in the [Gaza – LS] Strip, which will "turn Gaza into a place where people cannot live", including by "preventing any possible aid by others [i.e. other states and organisations which are not Israel – LS]". His repeated calls for the execution of war crimes earned him no less than ten citations in the application that opened the proceedings of South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in December 2023. The fate of the approximately 2.1 million residents of Gaza was casually ignored by Eiland, with the familiar infantile fantasies of another Nakba, in which "the entire population of Gaza will move either to Egypt or the Gulf" (why not Uganda - YH). In a column published by Eiland in November 2023 in Yedioth Ahronoth [ידיעות אחרונות; a popular Israeli daily newspaper – LS], he presented the first plan, the "[Single – LS] General’s Plan", if you will, in which we got a glimpse into the twisted mind of the chatty general. And so he wrote:

"Israel is not fighting against a terrorist organisation, but against the state of Gaza... Gaza is very similar to Nazi Germany... Who are the 'poor' women in Gaza? They are all the mothers, sisters or wives of Hamas killers.... If they experience a humanitarian disaster, then it can be assumed that some of the fighters in Hamas and the more junior commanders will begin to understand that the war is futile and that it is better to prevent irreversible damage to their family members... the international community warns us of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza and of severe epidemics. We must not shy away from this, as difficult as it may be. After all, severe epidemics in the south of the Gaza Strip will bring victory closer and reduce casualties among IDF soldiers." [bold text in the original Hebrew article by YH but not in the opinion column – LS]

The very discussion of the subject is nauseating, but it's a shame that Eiland took his inspiration from Radio Rwanda and not from the Merchant of Venice, otherwise, he might have been exposed to Shylock's basic truth: dehumanisation does not deprive people of their basic biological properties. If stabbed they bleed, if starved they perish, if bombs are dropped on them, they die, and if an epidemic breaks out in their city - it will not discriminate between [Palestinian – LS] blood and [Israeli – LS] blood. It is not for nothing that in recent weeks the IDF began vaccinating against polio both soldiers and children in Gaza, after the virus was discovered in the sewers in Gaza. It is surprising that the MG did not learn basic epidemiological insights during his days in Bennett's 'Covid Cabinet'.

The MG's inability to draw conclusions extends over the past year, when even 11 bloody months of war, full of disease, hunger and death, for which the phrase "humanitarian crisis" is an understatement, did not divert him from his course. As a dog returns to his vomit, Eiland repeats the mantra of "creating a humanitarian crisis" in the [television – LS] studios, after which redemption will come. His addiction to [television – LS] studios fits well with his apparent addiction to violence, and like any addict - he begs his dealers for another dose. In his depravity, he promises again that this time it will be the last dose, and then not only will he not demand more violence - but this dose is the one that will miraculously bring to the exact opposite [of violence – LS], 'weaning' from the war and the return of the hostages.

Like the government and IDF spokesmen, Eiland also lies to the public and denies the inherent contradiction between the war goal of annihilating Hamas and the goal of returning the hostages. [Such – LS] a lie made in October 2023 could have been [considered – LS] at best negligent. Today, after the deaths of tens of thousands of Gazans and dozens of hostages, is nothing more than a cynical lie, despicable and cruel. There is no other way to describe the decision to publish a video that calls for a military blockade of the northern Gaza Strip under the pretext of the need to return the hostages, only a few days after 6 hostages were brutally murdered by their captives who realised that IDF forces were approaching them.

Giora's friends

The hostel Eiland found to promote his plan is the "Forum of Reservist Commanders and Fighters". The organisation was founded by Col. Hazi Nechama, a graduate of Eli Mechina [מכינת עלי; a pre-military service academy in the West Bank settlement of Eli – LS] and a resident of the settlement, with the aim of "challenging the prevailing assumptions in the IDF commanding forum [Forum Matkal פורום מטכ"ל – LS]", as written on the web page of the organisation, and to bring about a "complete decisive submission" [Hachra’a Mele’a הכרעה מלאה – LS] of Hamas. The organisation presents the "complete decisive submission" as an alternative to the concept of “deterrence” [Harta’a הרתעה – LS], whose approach is still prevalent among the senior IDF command. However, the choice of exact wording for this concept, and not in other synonymous clichés, which are more common these days, such as 'annihilation' [Mitut מיטוט – LS] and 'total victory' [Nitzakhon Mukhlat ניצחון מוחלט – LS], is not accidental.

The "Decisive Plan" [Tochnit Ha’Hachra’a תכנית ההכרעה – LS] is the name given by Bezalel Smotrich in 2017 to his messianic vision of Greater Israel [Eretz Yisrael Hashlema ארץ ישראל השלמה – LS], according to which every Palestinian in the [occupied Palestinian – LS] territories will be given the opportunity to "give up the realisation of national aspirations and enjoy all the good abundance and progress that the Jewish people brought and bring to the Land of Israel" (spoiler: not all the good abundance and progress will benefit this [Palestinian – LS] - YH). [Another option given to Palestinians who refuse the first option is – LS], to receive "assistance in immigrating to one of the many Arab countries where the Arabs can exercise their national ambitions, or to any other destination in the world" (so generous - YH). [A last option given to said Palestinians is – LS] to be "resolutely handled by the security apparatus". As you can understand, the plan is a rotten cocktail of messianism, racism and gaslighting. According to the plan, even the Palestinians who do not choose the tempting alternatives of transfer and genocide, but "only" give up their national identity and their right to self-determination, will not be entitled to vote in the Knesset. If in your eyes such a regime is considered (today and in the future) to be the type of regime that rhymes with the word "Shampertheid", don't worry - Bezalel has the answer:

"Even in the absence of the right to vote for a fully sovereign parliament, this [described regime – LS] is not an apartheid regime - but, at most, a [regime with a – LS] missing element in the basket of freedoms, or if we prefer - a deficit in democratic fullness."

When placed next to each other, Eiland's “Generals’ Plan” looks almost like the second volume, or the implementation, of Smotrich's "Decisive Plan". The dehumanisation of millions of people, infantile fantasies about mass immigration, and placing "choices" of death or Nakba – after which there is a promise for swords beaten to ploughshares, and people sitting under their own vines and under their own fig trees (or under the fig tree of the Palestinian who was bombed or voluntarily emigrated, [as stated – LS] in the fine print – YH).

Without flour, there is no Torah, and the connection between Eiland's “Generals’ Plan” and the settler right does not end with ideological inspiration from people like Smotrich and new friends like Hazi Nechama, but also includes financial support. The “Commanders' Forum” website calls on the public to financially support the “Generals’ Plan”, but the “Commanders' Forum” is not a registered association [Amuta עמותה – LS]. So, who will the donation go to? Entering the donation page reveals that the donation will go to Keren Avia [קרן אביה; The Avia Fund – LS].

What is Keren Avia?

The fund, to which the donations to Giora Eiland's “Generals’ Plan” campaign go, defines itself on the official Facebook page as "a fund for road safety in honour of the late Avia Yehoshua Goldberg Z"L" [קרן למען זהירות בדרכים לעילוי נשמת אביה יהושע גולדברג ז"ל – LS]. Avia Yehoshua Goldberg was the son of the foundation's founder, Israel Goldberg, who also serves as CEO of the advertising company Pirsumey Israel [פרסומי ישראל – LS]'. Alongside the organisation’s activities to promote road safety, the Avia Foundation and 'Pirsumey Israel' are financing and publishing 'Gilui Da’at [גילוי דעת – LS]', one of the most common Shabbat bulletins [see comment below – LS] in the synagogues of the [right-wing – LS] religious-nationalist public. [This bulleting – LS] provides, among other things, a broad platform for the entire ultra-Orthodox-Kahanist spectrum - from the past editor of the bulletin and current MK Zvi Sukkot [member of the far-right Jewish Power party – LS] to columnist Ayala Ben-Gvir [a far-right political activist and the wife of the far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – LS].

The connection of the Avia Foundation to the settler right does not amount to financing sectorial journalism. The foundation's official website includes Kerem Avia among its 'range of activities'. Kerem Avia is an outpost [Ma’akhaz מאחז; a type of illegal settlement; see comment below – LS] that was established in 2007, about 5 km northwest of Ramallah in an area known as 'Gush Talmonim [גוש טלמונים – LS]'. Over the years, the outpost was expanded, housing units were built in it and its name was changed to 'Kerem Reim [כרם רעים – LS]'. In 2017, you will be surprised, that the outpost had been legalised by the Israeli government [i.e. declaring it as a “legal” settlement – LS]. Regardless of how long it has been since, the founder of the fund, [Israel – LS] Goldberg, is still proud of his contribution to the establishment of the outpost. Whether he made his fortune from the advertising company he owns or from his father, who was one of the founders of the [Israel – LS] Diamond Exchange, it is not surprising how he used his fortune. Goldberg, who was born in Tel Aviv, was a student of [rabbi] Zvi Yehuda Kook [צבי יהודה קוק, הרצי"ה – LS], also known as the biological son of rabbi [Abraham Isaac] Kook [אברהם יצחק הכהן קוק, הראי"ה – LS] and the ideological father of the settlement movement 'Gush Emunim [גוש אמונים – LS]'. Today, Goldberg is close to powerful elements in the settler and Kahanist right, such as the CEO of 'Amana' Zeev [Hever, also known as – LS] Zambish and Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem Aryeh King [both are public figures who represent far-right interests – LS], and often praises their work. Goldberg even sits on the board of directors of the 'Am Kelavi' association, which is responsible for the March of Flags [see comment below – LS].

Who is using whom?

Despite the short detour into the wonderful world of the [right-wing – LS] settlers, Giora Eiland's new friends are not interested in themselves. The sea is the same sea, and the right-wing is the same right-wing [see comment below – LS]. The relations between them and Giora Eiland and the new 'Generals’ Plan' are what should interest us, and in this context, we can raise the question "Who is 'using' whom?". Is Eiland taking advantage of the platform and economic support of the settler right in order to continue trying to sell the public his merchandise after the television studios are no longer enthusiastic about his broken record? Or is the settler right taking advantage of Eiland's 'innocent' image, as a secular security-establishment figure [Bitkhonist ביטחוניסט – LS] who isn’t known for supporting the government, in order to promote their vision of occupation, [ethnic – LS] cleansing and settlement in the Gaza Strip? Whether it is a symbiosis or whether one party is using the other, the cooperation between the parties advances the plan in big and fast.

A few days after the uploading of the 'Generals’ Plan' video, billboards went up across the country calling on the government to adopt the plan, at a cost of tens of thousands of shekels (in conservative estimate). While public campaigns of this type usually last months and years from the launch stage to reaching the decision makers, the economic and political back of the settler right brought the 'Generals’ Plan' within a week and a half of the publication of the video to the government and the army.

On Thursday noon (12/09/2024) it was announced that Likud MK Avihai Boaron, a long-time activist in settlement organisations, signed a letter to the PM demanding "to implement the decisive plan of MG Giora Eiland". The choice in the term “decisive”, alongside the placement of Eiland as the sole initiator of the plan, sums up the tactics of the campaign. Boaron was actually frightened by the symbiosis [with Eiland – LS], and made sure to make it clear that he was "only voluntarily helping reservists friends. They formulated a good plan. I don't really trust Eiland's judgment after his activity in the 'Hamas Deterred' [a slur – LS] movement of the INSS". The "reservists friends", Hazi Nechama and his organisation, are not mentioned by name.

That evening, 'Kan 11 [כאן11; Israel’s public broadcast television channel – LS]' reporter Michael Shemesh published that "Senior IDF [officers – LS] are considering implementing the Eiland plan or adopting parts of it", and that "the IDF has been discussing the program in recent days". This publication must be seen in its broad context, and it raises a number of conclusions.

First, Michael Shemesh is not a military correspondent but a political correspondent, and therefore there is a reasonable basis for thinking that those who briefed him about the discussions for the bulletin were not "senior army [officers – LS]" but rather someone from the political sphere, who wanted to float the idea as a sort of "trial balloon" and test the public reaction to it. Or, if we get a little more conspiratorial, a person interested in promoting a plan that was indeed discussed in the IDF but was rejected. The possibility that a person from the settler right, such as [Bezalel – LS] Smotrich or [Itamar – LS] Ben-Gvir, is behind the briefing exists, but given their compartmentalisation from security issues, it is doubtful whether they are behind it. Shemesh relations with Netanyahu's office have known better days, and recently [Netanyahu had been using – LS] more classical conduits for conveying messages, such as Yaron Avraham and Amit Segal. On the other hand, the likelihood that [Yoav] Gallant [security minister at the time of writing – LS] is behind the briefing is higher - both because Shemesh is known to be close to Gallant, and because Gallant is known to be close to Eiland, and even appointed him at the beginning of the war as a consultant in the personal group of advisers he recruited.

In any case, whether Gallant or another person from the government is behind Shemesh's publication - Eiland's 'Generals’ Plan' does not challenge or threaten the government, quite the opposite. Although the rhetoric Eiland used since the beginning of the war had been of a harsh criticism of the government - in fact, he is probably its most dedicated spokesperson. Through the clouds of spin and slogans, the main message of the government is that the war must be continued at any cost. Unfortunately, the government's Achilles heel is not the degree of violence it requires of the IDF. The use of the term 'decisive' instead of 'complete victory' [which Netanyahu uses publicly – LS] does not keep Netanyahu awake at night. The problem for him and his government is that they have not yet succeeded in sacrificing all the hostages. Despite aiming all the guns of propaganda, harassment and violence on this issue [of the hostages – LS] - public opinion polls still unanimously indicate a clear and stable majority of the public supports deals to return the hostages, including those deals involving ending the war.

Despite the publication of the discussions, the possibility that the 'Generals’ Plan' will become operational is low. Even if we assume that the Cabinet and the General Staff are willing to cross another line in the severity of the war crimes they are sanctioning, the government has no interest in implementing the plan now. The invasion of Rafah was Netanyahu's campaign for months - and as soon as the IDF entered Rafah, a new campaign was needed and materialised in the campaign [for Israel to hold] Philadelphi Corridor [in any ceasefire deal; see comment below – LS]. The Philadelphi Corridor campaign has not yet exhausted itself and the 'Eiland Plan' campaign is only in its infancy. The government has no interest in wasting the [public discourse potential of the – LS] latter right now by implementing parts of it. However, this does not mean that it will be used as another propaganda tool. Eiland is, as mentioned, the government's most dedicated spokesperson and it is possible that we will soon see the government publicly toying with the plan as part of the propaganda campaign for the continuation of the war and the sacrifice of the hostages - and it is not impossible that in the end, it will replace the Philadelphi Corridor campaign.

If so, the question that is more appropriate to ask is not whether Giora Eiland is using the settler right or if they are using him, but what is the nature of the relationship between Eiland and the 37th Israeli government?

Translation notes:

1. Kohelet Policy Forum or פורום קהלת is a right-wing Israeli think tank that is heavily involved in the Israeli government’s takeover of the judiciary.

2. The Israeli government is promoting a set of laws and regulations to change the way the Israeli legal system works. These laws and regulations were termed The Legal Reform by the government and The Legal Coup or Revolution by the political and civil opposition. Here I chose to use a more descriptive term ‘the government’s judicial takeover’.

3. Every adult male citizen who was honourably discharged from military service in Israel is obliged to serve in the reserve army when called. Failing to serve when called is frowned upon and is considered shameful and taboo. The protest movement against the government’s judicial takeover called upon its supporters not to serve in the reserve army until the government rolled back its policies.

4. Shabbat bulletin or עלון שבת is a type of short weekly bulletin distributed through synagogues and targets the religious Jewish public.

5. In Israeli law, an outpost (מאחז Ma’akhaz) is an unauthorized or illegal Israeli settlement within the West Bank, constructed without the required authorisation from the Israeli government in contravention of Israeli statutes regulating planning and construction. In Israeli law, outposts are distinguished from settlements authorised by the Israeli government. This distinction between illegal outposts and "legal" settlements is not endorsed by international law, which considers both a violation of the norms, governing belligerent occupations, applicable to the Israeli-occupied West Bank. (Definition from the Wikipedia page for “Israeli outpost”)

6. March of Flags or מצעד הדגלים is an annual parade of the right, dominated by the religious right, in Jerusalem which commemorates the military conquest and subsequent annexation of the eastern part of the city of Jerusalem in 1967. It is known as a show of power of the far-right and is accompanied by regular acts of violence against the Palestinian and other non-Jewish residents and businesses in Jerusalem’s old town.

7. “The sea is the same sea, and the Arabs are the same Arabs” or הים הוא אותו ים והערבים הם אותם ערבים is a famous statement made by the former Israeli PM Yitzhak Shamir regarding his mistrust of the Arab peoples. The reference to the sea echoes a sentiment popular within those Israelis who are weary of negotiations that ‘the only thing the Arabs want is to throw all Jews in the Mediterranean sea’.

8. The Philadelphi Corridor or ציר פילדלפי is the Israeli code name for the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. It includes the Rafah crossing, which is the only crossing between Gaza and any other country apart from Israel.