The caption is economistLast Saturday's cover was “Israel Alone.”
Below the caption is a lone Israeli flag covered in dust, believed to be somewhere in the Gaza Strip, fluttering in what looks like a sandstorm, with blurred buildings in the background. photos are posted, but it is difficult to confirm whether the building was destroyed, or exactly when and where the photos were taken.
While there is no doubt that this picture is very powerful, it is unclear whether it accurately reflects Israel's current increasingly isolated diplomatic situation.
There is no doubt that, in the weeks since October 7th, after a particularly vicious attack by some 3,000 Hamas fighters/terrorists across purportedly impregnable waters, enlightened world leaders have This means that he was extremely supportive of Israel's situation. Located on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, it has carried out systematic genocide accompanied by various forms of war and humanitarian crimes.
The attack, for which Israeli security forces were completely unprepared, killed around 1,200 civilians (mostly Israelis but also dozens of foreigners) and troops, leaving 253 dead and dead. Hostages were taken across the border. , to the Gaza Strip. Nearly half of them are still held there, awaiting release.
The majority of those who supported Israel at this stage justified Israel's strong military response, including dealing deadly military and administrative blows to Hamas and moves to bring back hostages. The US government went far ahead of other countries, pledging to provide Israel with all necessary weapons and ammunition, in addition to stationing US aircraft carriers and troops in the region.
But from the beginning, the U.S. government insisted that Israel begin planning for the “day after” and present a workable battle plan with minimal civilian casualties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu either rejected or glossed over both requests.
As a result of Israeli activities in the Gaza Strip, both homes and public buildings in Gaza City have been extensively destroyed, and more than 1 million civilians have been forcibly relocated from northern Gaza to central Gaza and southern Gaza, leaving them homeless. A huge humanitarian problem has arisen. , Palestinians were displaced and chaos quickly developed.
The number of people killed gradually increased to more than 30,000 people, at least a third of whom were children and (according to Israel) a further third were active members of Hamas. Although Israel denied being on a journey of revenge, the world began to see the situation differently.
Israel's initial response to requests for systematic entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip was a resounding “no”, at least until all Israeli hostages were released. In the face of international pressure, Israel was forced to make concessions, although it continued to insist it would verify the content of the aid and try to prevent it from falling into the hands of Hamas. The amount of aid has gradually increased, with some coming into the Gaza Strip from Egypt, another through Israel, and more recently by air and sea.
While the international community claims there is a problem of hunger and malnutrition in the Gaza Strip, Israel says there is a large black market and the Gaza Strip is dominated by members of the Hamrot (Extended Family). He insists that the situation is not that bad. specific region. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that there is a strong feeling that no effective administrative mechanisms exist to control the distribution of humanitarian aid.
Efforts to free hostages
At this stage, a major effort is underway to bring a further 40 of the remaining hostages (women and children, elderly, unwell or disabled men) back to Israel; The dead and the dead will follow. The hostages demanded additional Hamas demands, including a longer ceasefire and the immediate return of evacuees to the northern Gaza Strip, in exchange for the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. was immediately rejected.
The US government and other international actors are trying to dissuade Israel from planning an attack on Rafah. Rafah is the last town in the Gaza Strip not conquered by Israel, and is currently home to more than 1 million displaced people living in tents and other temporary housing. of the shelter.
Israel has steadfastly refused to accept the latter demands, and its former supporters have called for sanctions, particularly in the area of arms and munitions sales, as well as against individual Jewish settlers in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). They are threatening Israel with sanctions. They are reported to have committed violent acts against Palestinians with impunity by Israeli authorities.
But the worst deterioration concerns Netanyahu's relationship with Israel and the US administration in general, and President Joe Biden in particular. This deterioration of the situation is influenced not only by the presence or absence of Israeli activities in the Gaza Strip, but also by the upcoming US presidential election in November and growing dissatisfaction in Democratic circles, especially with Prime Minister Netanyahu's perceived ungratefulness towards the US. There is. He is said to be concerned about preserving the All-Right Coalition at almost any cost.
Later this week, an Israeli team led by Strategy Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Council Chairman Tsashi Hanegbi is scheduled to travel to Washington to discuss Israel's determination to carry out the Rafah attack with U.S. officials. Defeat the last stronghold of Hamas fighters/terrorists in the Gaza Strip. The United States opposes such attacks, primarily on humanitarian grounds.
Dermer expressed Israel's position on a Times of Israel podcast last Thursday, in which he said: Even if the whole world, including the United States, turns against Israel, we will continue to fight until the battle is won.'' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in a similar vein. It remains to be seen whether the dialogue in Washington will ultimately lead to preventing a full-scale confrontation on the issue.
In the final issue, economist He suggested that a temporary cease-fire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas could lead to “still a narrow path out of the hellscape of Gaza” and potentially rescue Israel from its growing isolation.
I think this is a fairly simple depiction of the situation. What is needed for Israel to reverse its growing isolation is a fundamental change in mindset, which can only be brought about by regime change in Jerusalem.of economist He seems to think that if negotiations on a new hostage deal between Israel and Hamas are successful, it could lead to some form of regime change.
However, early elections seem unlikely in the current political system, without which both Religious Zionism and Otzma Yehudit would reject Israel and Hamas on ideological grounds. Only an agreement can bring about change in the national system. At this stage the government. Could Prime Minister Netanyahu accept a deal that would lead to the leaders of two far-right parties leaving the government? I doubt it.
The author worked for many years as a researcher in the Knesset and has published extensively both journalistic and academic articles on current events and Israeli politics. Her most recent book, Israel's Knesset Members – A Comparative Study of Undefined Jobs, was published by Routledge last year.
