Netanyahu's Gaza aid decision was right but not smart

Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision today (Sunday) to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip during Gideon's Chariots has predictably set off a firestorm among Israelis, especially rightwing members of his coalition and many of his own voters.

For weeks, we were told that there is no starvation in Gaza, that there's enough food for at least a month or a few weeks, and that anyone telling you differently was lying to you (as Hamas and many humanitarian organizations have indeed done for the last several months).

Why the sudden reversal?

One target is the overly zealous IDF legal department, which often acts like it's an extension of Israel's cosmopolitan legal system, which itself views itself as a colonialist governor acting on behalf of the Hague. Another blames IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir for continuing the boneheaded policies of his Haaretz-obsessed predecessor Herzi Halevi.

I don't buy it. Netanyahu overruled the army when he wanted to and he has even fought the legal system to at least a draw when he thought it necessary, such as over Ben Gvir's reappointment. He held off on aid until now despite the NPC hivemind of Israel's legal system and there's no reason he could not have done so.

But what about the Europeans? The Qataris? Again - Netanyahu has told them to pound sand repeatedly in the past during the war.

No, the only reasonable explanation for Bibi's snap decision likely has to do with one man: President Trump. He's the only one whom Netanyahu and Israel cannot afford to lose or alienate - for the sake of arms, containing Iran, getting back the hostages, or stopping a whole host of threats.

That still leaves the question, though, of why Netanyahu did this on the sly. Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have commented on the issue of Gaza aid a number of times before. There was ample time for the Prime Minister to prepare the public for a temporary change in policy while the new policy of aid provision sans Hamas got going.

In Israel, there's a saying: On the road, don't be right, be smart.

It's a warning to drivers to make sure they avoid getting into accidents rather than be in the right but with a broken back.

Bibi is unquestionably a very smart guy. He knows better than this. He knows that even if he is 100% right that this is all temporary and necessary to pursue the war, passing the decision in the dead of night with no warning is a great way to lose vital public trust at a dangerous time.

Let us hope this is the last time Netanyahu tries to be clever rather than wise.