Ever since director Barry Levinson's Wag the Dog was released in 1997, world leaders seeking to counter security challenges during election time are immediately suspected of trying to exploit potential security threats for political gain.
But the reality is different. Given the steady escalation vis-à-vis the terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip, chances are that if not for the March 2 elections, Israel would already be waging a major military campaign in the coastal enclave.
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Restraint is the rule of the day so as not to disturb due political process and Israel is willing to grin and bear these tensions for now; at least until March 3, that is.
According to all recent security assessments, senior defense officials believe that the next military operation in Gaza is closer than ever. Israel still hopes that Hamas will come to its senses, hold its fire and rein in Islamic Jihad and the smaller terrorist group in the Strip, but chances of that seem slim.
A senior defense official told Israel Hayom recently that the IDF could have easily triggered a serious escalated that would, in turn, prompt what is perceived as an inevitable operation – it is not for nothing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted this week that Israel is "preparing a major surprise for Hamas."
But the desire to avoid any move that might cripple the elections or even postpone it sees the IDF opt for biding its time; mounting measures responses to terrorism, and avoid taking what would otherwise be forceful steps.
A wide-scale military campaign is likely to serve Netanyahu's political interest, and to the same extent probably those of Yamina leader Defense Minister Naftali Bennett. As for Blue and White – the generals leading it are trying to prove that were they in power, the military approach to the Gaza issue would be different, but to no avail.
Netanyahu is not immune to criticism on this issue and some of which is justified, but our salvation does not lie with Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and his comrades.
Blue and White's "different approach" to the tensions plaguing southern Israel is difficult to find even with the Hubble Space Telescope, and the combative speeches made by Gantz, and fellow former IDF chiefs Moshe Ya'alon and Gabi Ashkenazi only offer policy similar to the one currently practiced by the incumbent government.
Any action by Blue and White's generals while they were in uniform also failed to produce the desired result – far from it.
