“Surprised and not surprised” is how Fatah member Qadura Fares described the reaction of the Palestinian leadership to the tensions in Israel between top military and defense officials and the political leadership following the May 4 remarks by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day. On the one hand, they were surprised by the freedom and intensity with which a senior IDF officer delivered an outspoken social critique and exposed the helplessness of the political echelon in dealing with the social trends he described. Maj. Gen. Golan had said that he sees signs in Israel of “abhorrent processes that took place in Europe, and Germany in particular, some 70, 80 or 90 years ago.” On the other hand, the Palestinians had already noticed the deep divisions among top-level Israeli officials over the handling of the current intifada and the climate created by the right wing.

“Since the latest escalation, the IDF has had to practically block the right-wing Netanyahu government from running amuck,” said Fares in an interview with Al-Monitor. “This was clear for all to see.” According to Fares, during meetings with the Israelis to discuss ongoing security cooperation, the Palestinian Authority (PA) leadership became aware of the responsibility and wisdom displayed by the Israeli military vis-a-vis the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We saw that the army and the Shin Bet were starting to worry about the future of the state under the leadership of the radical right and were concerned about a phenomena that could bring about Israel’s demise,” said Fares, who believes that Israel’s top brass had restrained itself for a long time from criticizing Netanyahu’s policies, only recently deciding to raise its voice in opposition.

“Up to now, they [Israeli security officials] respected conventions, because the helm of the state is in the hands of the politicians,” Fares remarked. “But suddenly they realized that the political and party echelons had gone too far. Way too far. They understood that if they leave the decisions to them, their country could turn into a fascist, racist state, and they might be seen as having lent a hand to this.”