Israeli General, Creator of Generals’ Plan, Oddly Shifts Position
Occupied Palestine (Quds News Network)- In a surprising turn of events, retired Israeli General Giora Eiland, who previously came up with the infamous “Generals’ Plan” to force Palestinians out of northern Gaza and kill everyone who remains, has now publicly called for an end to Israel’s war in Gaza. In an op-ed published by Yedioth Ahronoth on Tuesday, Eiland urged the Israeli government to prioritize negotiations for a prisoner exchange with Hamas, marking a stark reversal of his earlier stance.
Eiland had been one of the key architects behind the “Generals’ Plan,” which proposed the mass displacement of Palestinians from northern Gaza to the south. The plan, widely criticized for its elements of ethnic cleansing, included provisions to kill any Palestinian who remained in the northern part of the Strip. The aim was to eventually apply this strategy across all of Gaza.
In his article, Eiland emphasized that continuing the Israeli offensive would likely result in further Israeli soldier casualties and possibly the deaths of Israeli prisoners. He argued that maintaining a military presence in Gaza’s Philadelphi Corridor was pointless and called for a more flexible approach to negotiations with Hamas.
Eiland’s shift comes as Israeli society grows increasingly desensitized to the deaths of soldiers in Gaza, with news of fallen soldiers becoming “routine.” He also cited the heavy toll on Israel’s reserve forces, many of whom face economic hardships and are eager to return to civilian life and their jobs.
From an economic perspective, Eiland highlighted the immense cost of the war, estimating that a single day of combat costs over half a billion shekels. He added that the ongoing conflict is further weakening Israel’s standing in the international community, particularly regarding its war crimes in Gaza.
The former general also expressed concerns that prolonging the war would not weaken Hamas’s control over Gaza, and instead, would lead to more casualties on both sides.
Eiland’s comments align with a recent analysis by the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies, which criticized the “Generals’ Plan” as unlikely to achieve its objectives. The institute warned that the plan overlooks key challenges, such as the international legal implications of imposing a blockade on Gaza without providing adequate humanitarian corridors for civilians.
The institute also noted that many Palestinians are likely to resist displacement to southern Gaza. This resistance, combined with international scrutiny over the humanitarian impact of the blockade, could expose Israel to further accusations of war crimes. The analysis suggested that continued assaults could strengthen calls for international legal action against Israeli leaders, including arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court.
