How to Lose the World in 700 Days?

Author: يوسف طه

In politics, there are mistakes that can be corrected, and others that lead their owners down an irreversible path. What Netanyahu has done over the past two years belongs to the latter category. The man who climbed the ladder of Israeli politics for decades, and promoted himself as the "savior" and "magician" of the people of Israel, capable of managing crises and weaving alliances, now stands exposed before the world. His image is no longer that of a seasoned leader but rather a symbol of arrogance and political blindness. Israel, which was accustomed to imposing its narrative on the West and penetrating the capitals of the world, along with Netanyahu, who achieved breakthroughs over the years in Arab, Western, and African countries, finds themselves today in an escalating isolation after losing what cannot be easily restored: global public opinion.

In less than two years, Netanyahu managed to squander a political and diplomatic capital built over decades. The genocide against Gaza was a pivotal moment, as Netanyahu decided to treat it as an opportunity to settle scores with the Arabs and Palestinians, thinking he could unify the Israeli interior behind his leadership. However, his calculations backfired; daily massacres, comprehensive destruction, turning Gaza into rubble, and scenes of hunger and devastation did not pass unnoticed this time.

The world no longer swallows the old Israeli narrative of a small state defending itself. The scene appears starker than ever: a nuclear power backed by several countries, led by the United States, imposing a suffocating blockade and bombing a besieged people starving to death, demolishing buildings daily in a vengeful manner. From this point, the shift began, starting with protests at Western universities and demonstrations in the streets of London, Rome, Paris, and New York. These protests were not transient; they were a clear declaration of a radical change in Israel's image in the eyes of public opinion.

Netanyahu's appearance a few days ago at the United Nations General Assembly testified to what is to come in this article. He appeared repeating the same lies with a confused face, but the most prominent scene was not in his words, but in the nearly empty hall that reflected an unprecedented isolation for Israel and its leader, as he addressed empty seats more than he addressed the leaders of the world.

On October 8, 2023, Israel woke up to an unprecedented international consensus; Western countries, its allies in the region, and even its traditional adversaries lined up behind its narrative and gave it exceptional cover. But after just two years, Netanyahu finds himself in a completely opposite position: allies are cooling off, he finds support only from the United States and Trump, while his partners are retreating step by step, and the grand project of normalization with Saudi Arabia has stumbled into an illusion, coinciding with the successive recognitions of the Palestinian state, and unprecedented statements from leaders and heads of state against Israel and its crimes in Gaza.

Even one of Netanyahu's closest allies, the Argentine president whom he relied on to show that matters are under international control, refused to receive him on a previously scheduled visit. He saw that the visit might harm his legitimacy as Argentine parliamentary elections approach, and could cost him a hefty political price due to his support for Israel. Thus, Netanyahu has become a burden even to his allies, having once been the center of a global leaders' race to meet and build relations with him, both secretly and publicly.

Instead of being a "maker of a new Middle East," he has turned into a regional and Western burden, being viewed as a liar and reckless who dragged his country into suffocating isolation. This loss transcends the balance of power, reaching a profound shift in global public opinion, where Israel is now treated by the world as a rogue state, losing its legitimacy and the international support it once considered its strategic asset.

The most dangerous thing is that Netanyahu does not self-reflect; rather, he becomes more rigid, obstinate, and arrogant. His policies have not changed; he continues with further settlement in the West Bank and threats of annexation, tightening and pursuing Palestinians at home, forming alliances with the extreme right and nationalist factions, and refusing to engage with any Palestinian side, even inciting against Abu Mazen himself and continuously besieging the Palestinian Authority. This arrogance prevents him from seeing the simple truth that Israel is bleeding daily what remains of its legitimacy.

Arrogance is not just an individual behavior; it is a complete political mentality. The Israeli elite believes that they can continue oppression and occupation indefinitely, and that the world will overlook them no matter what they do. However, recent years have proven this equation to be false. Western and global public opinion has changed, and the media that was once completely biased towards Israel can no longer ignore the severity of the crimes.

One of the most important transformations revealed by this war is the change in the consciousness of nations. And while we, as Palestinians, have paid enormous prices, and Gaza is facing the most heinous crimes in modern political history, and I do not know if there is anything that can compensate us for these losses and daily pain and thousands of martyrs, wounded, and orphans, the scenes of millions taking to the streets have revived hope despite the pain. These millions came out with deep convictions and a profound awareness of the Palestinian cause, not out of transient humanitarian solidarity. This transformation is not just a symbolic detail; it means that any Western government will find itself forced to keep up with this popular sentiment in the future. Support for Israel has become a political burden, having once been a given in Western politics, even convincing the Arabs themselves that their interests lay with Israel. Netanyahu contributed significantly to this before hastening his own repudiation through his arrogance when he targeted an Arab capital that played the role of mediator and helped free Israeli prisoners in the recent war.

It is true that the United States, the world's largest military power, still grants Israel military and political cover, but this cover has begun to shake. Many voices and influential figures even within the Republican Party have started publicly criticizing Israel and viewing its support as a burden, even calling for an end to military aid. Meanwhile, American universities, the reservoir of future political elites, have played a central role in launching the largest solidarity movement with Palestine in American history. This means that the political future in Washington will not be as it used to be, despite Trump's madness and his daily fluctuations and psychological and political instability.

Netanyahu's strategic stupidity is evident in his belief that military power is sufficient to guarantee lasting legitimacy. However, the truth is that the world is changing, and tanks and planes alone can no longer impose a position in light of the ongoing crimes being committed in full view of the entire world. Today, the battle is over the moral and political image in front of the world, and Israel has completely lost this image, turning into a model state for crimes, starvation, destruction, and aggression in the 21st century.

Netanyahu may succeed in completing his term by maintaining his allies and making concessions to Smotrich and Ben Gvir with more hostility, settlement, and annexation against the Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and within, but that will not change the fact that Israel is losing its most important battle under his rule: international legitimacy. The longer these policies continue, the deeper Israel's image as a pariah state becomes. And nothing is more dangerous for a state than to lose the trust of the world, especially if it was originally supported by this world and the West in particular.

In the end, Netanyahu may think he can buy time, and that the world will forget as it used to happen before. But what has transpired over the last two years has proven the opposite: a new awareness is crystallizing, and a firm reality has been established; Israel is no longer the victim but has become the executioner. And Netanyahu, with his arrogance and political blindness, is the one who led her to this deadlock.

He has almost lost the whole world in more than 700 days since the beginning of the genocide, and yet insists on the same approach. This is not political skill or strategic cunning, but rather historical stupidity that will cost the Israelis first. It creates a new political and international reality in which the Palestinian cause returns to the forefront, thanks to Netanyahu's obstinacy and the crimes of the Israelis. All of this would not have been achieved without the blood that was shed, the immense sacrifices made by the Palestinians, and the thousands of martyrs, wounded, and missing in Gaza, and the exorbitant prices paid and still being paid by our people there. What matters to them today, above all else, is an immediate end to the genocide, suffering, and displacement, and the restoration of life.