International Pressure Drives Israel Towards Unprecedented Isolation That Could Threaten Its Interests

SadaNews - In an analytical article published by the American news agency Bloomberg, writer Mark Champion painted a bleak picture for Israel's future if Benjamin Netanyahu's government continues its "more war" policy, ignoring internal and external calls to stop the bleeding and present a clear political vision for the day after in Gaza.

The article asked: How did Israel reach this stage? And how can it get out of it? Adding that these two questions seem inevitable after Netanyahu - wanted by the International Criminal Court - responded to months of criticism and anger regarding his management of the war in Gaza with more war.

Champion reviewed how Israel transitioned from a "moment of unprecedented international sympathy" following the attacks of October 7, 2023 - which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 people and 250 captives - to a state of sharp political and moral isolation, after widespread destruction in Gaza and the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, using food and medicine as weapons, and opening an international investigation into allegations of genocide.

Champion noted that Israel's traditional allies, who had refused to recognize the State of Palestine, are now moving towards supporting its establishment for fear that Netanyahu's ultimate goal is to destroy the sector and prepare the conditions to expel its Palestinian residents and replace them with Jewish settlers.

He pointed out that Netanyahu's recent decision to take control of Gaza City came despite the advice of Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir not to proceed with its implementation, and that his plan lacks a clear exit strategy and contradicts the conditions of Arab countries to participate in the post-Hamas era.

Hostile Regional Environment

Families of the remaining prisoners held by Hamas fear that the plan is tantamount to a death sentence for their loved ones, while Israel's allies condemned it for what it will "inevitably" result in human costs. All of this, in the writer's opinion, sparked disputes within the Israeli government itself and led Germany to suspend exports of weapons that might be used in Gaza.

Champion goes on to say that for this reason, 550 generals and former officials in Israeli intelligence sent an open letter to U.S. President Donald Trump asking him to intervene to force Netanyahu's government to end the war that they believe has lost any military justification.

He quotes former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warning that Israel's excessive reliance on force undermines its relationships with key allies and threatens to leave 10 million Israelis alone in the face of a hostile regional environment.

The writer believes that Israel's dependence solely on force to deal with other parties in the region - from Palestinians to Iran, Lebanon, and Syria - quickly weakens the support it enjoys from key allies in the Middle East and Europe, and even the United States.

While acknowledging Israel's military victories over Hezbollah and Iran over the past year, Champion warns that the balance of power is subject to change, citing the experience of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. He also cites experts, such as Lawrence Freedman, stating that the permanent occupation of Gaza means a permanent war and escalating isolation for Israel.

The Son Is the Secret of His Father

The Bloomberg article connects Netanyahu's current positions with the legacy of his father, Benzion Netanyahu, the hardline Zionist thinker who rejected any settlement with Arabs and called for the annexation of all "biblical lands of Israel".

Before his death in 2012, Benzion made clear in his writings and interviews that he viewed Arabs (not just Palestinians, whose existence as a distinct nation he denied) as enemies by nature who are incapable of reaching a settlement, and that "there is no solution but force" to deal with them.

When asked why his son sometimes appeared less hardline than him, he replied that this was a position necessitated by political necessity, but the essence of their positions is the same.

Champion sees the approach of the longest-serving prime minister in office, and his efforts to weaken independent institutions that limit his authority, as aligning with the populist wave in the West.

However, he believes that Israel's geography places the matter in a different context, as its internal motivations have become more similar to those of other countries in the region.

The ruling coalition in Israel - the writer continues - is a mirror of the profound demographic and political transformation witnessed by Israeli society represented in the increasing influence of right-wing ultra-Orthodox Jews, settlers, and extremist religious and nationalist movements, and others.

He said all of these share with the Netanyahu family their absolute ideas about Arabs and Israel's divine right to territorial expansion, claiming that this undermines Israel's image as a liberal democratic state.

Covert Ethnic Cleansing

Champion reveals that polls, despite showing a majority of Israelis wanting a ceasefire, reflect a conditional stance, as most link it to the release of prisoners while being willing to resume war later. A large percentage also supports the evacuation of Gaza from its Palestinian residents, a position that was marginal before the events of October 7, 2023.

The "voluntary immigration," as proposed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, amounts to - in their description - "a veiled ethnic cleansing."

Champion clarified that the term voluntary immigration was coined during the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s to describe Serbian plans to empty areas of non-Serbs. He likened what is happening in Gaza to what happened in Yugoslavia, Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia, affirming that this strategy, while successful at times, will not work in a land torn by three religions.

To change this course, Champion believes that it requires direct intervention from the United States, and pressure on the Israeli Prime Minister to accept a two-state solution and empower the Palestinian Authority to manage Gaza, in exchange for normalizing relations with Gulf countries and taking on the reconstruction.

He also calls on the Israeli opposition to ensure that the government continues in the event of the withdrawal of extremists from it, until the war is ended and early elections are called.

Champion warns that Washington's open support for Netanyahu's approach will overlook the fact that Israel is not a unified entity, and that the continuation of the war could push it towards an uncontainable international isolation.

Source: Bloomberg