Redefining the US policy towards Israel
It was not the first time that Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, snubbed the United States. This time however, he did so by destroying the capital of sympathy that the country had built since World War II. Judging by the reactions in the US and around the world, the misplaced sympathy for the Palestinian cause is prevailing and the attack of Gaza is not only owned by Israel, but also by the President of the United States. The consequences are going to be profound.
Hamas terrorism is unforgivable and needs to be condemned.
The nature of the attack of Hamas in Israel on October 7, 2023, cannot be forgiven: it was pure terrorism and butchery. From a terrorist organization that had decided to destroy Israel, it was unprovoked. Hamas is the aggressor. Hamas provoked the current situation.
It does not stop there: by refusing to release the hostages Hamas kept, it prolonged the conflict and, by doing so, it bears some responsibility for the death of tens of thousands of the Gazan people and territory. Using the civilian population as a human shield in hospitals and other places is criminal.
Without trying to apportion the responsibilities of the parties, it is important to recognize that Hamas has unduly defended the position of a victim, the most powerful to attract support and sympathy, although it is not a victim in this conflict, but the perpetrator.
How did it manage to enroll the Palestinian cause, and some elements of the Middle East? How is it possible that no equivalent was developed about Hamas responsibility for the attack and the conflict? How is it possible that universities have been unlawfully occupied by pro-Palestinians? This is not a country-to-country war: it is a conflict with terrorists.
Israel’s response was inadequate from the beginning.
The two objectives immediately indicated by Prime Minister Netanyahu were clear.
The first one, so far a failure because of Hamas’s attitude, the release of hostages is still being part of the negotiations that are going on. It was absolutely legitimate for Israel to defend its citizens and use all the means to achieve that objective: any country would have done the same. Using hostages as a “bargaining chip” only makes sense is Hamas is genuinely committed to negotiating.
The second one was questionable and unachievable. The elimination of a terrorist organization is not a military matter. Counterterrorism is a very different way to prevent and resolve this kind of issue. Furthermore, a terrorist organization can continue to recruit and garner support even as some of its own forces are being destroyed. ISIS has been eradicated, but not destroyed as we saw recently.
Destroying Hamas is unfeasible, and the use of military force is inadequate. This is why, quite correctly, Israeli commanders talk about months or years for the conflict. That second objective would inevitably drag Israel into a much wider conflict without success.
Israel did not accept its responsibility for its own inability to defend its own borders with Gaza. It refuses to launch an inquiry to protect Israeli unity, in casu, Benjamin Netanyahu who bears that responsibility and should have resigned, has no interest in putting an end to the conflict.
Israel did not measure the consequences of its response.
Israel is also hostage to its religious right who is defending a policy that has nothing religious and is purely nationalistic, in the name of religion. It is particularly troubling since they have been and insist on remaining exempt from military service. Their extremism is paid by the rest of the Israel population who disagrees with many aspects of the current policies.
By insisting on destroying Hamas, Israel has put itself in an infernal circle of violence and destruction. And yes, they will ultimately attack Rafah, with or without a truce. Not doing so would be a total failure. Israel cannot run that risk of a ceasefire without putting its survival at risk. Whether it is the wrong policy does not change anything to the situation.
By doing so, Prime Minister Netanyahu has truly damaged, deeply and for a long time, the credit his country enjoyed in some parts of the world. The current make things worse by adding an antisemitic dimension that resonates up to the White House.
War has always brought civilian casualties, and this war is no exception: the media enjoy it and play, as they mostly do, a toxic role whether they defend Israel or Palestine. Every day we get pictures of destroyed buildings and victims. Their analysis of the responsibilities is appalling.
Where does that leave the United States?
Let’s make things clear: Israel would not have existed and survived without the staunch support of the United States. It is Europe who has financed the Palestinian region. In the last few months, as the Israeli Government was not listening to its allied friends (especially the Republicans), this question inevitably arises.
Barack Obama tried to rebalance the relationship between the US and Israel. Trump and his family became Netanyahu’s best friends, an unholy alliance of autocrats. The Biden Administration has been cornered and now “owns” the Israel-Gaza conflict. Joe Biden is only starting to use the leverage that the military equipment sent to Israel gave him. It is too late to reverse course.
We need, however, to reassess the US foreign policy. As Barack Obama said, “the foreign policy of the United States should not be dictated by Israel”. Joe Biden has changed the narrative, but the efforts of his administration were undermined by the unconditional “ironclad” supporter.
The United States has to create the conditions of its support to its allies, and it would be clear that snubbing the US administration has consequences on the kind of support that we grant to our friends. After all, Joe Biden when he was Vice President visited Biden to ask him to exercise restraint and the same afternoon, Netanhyau extended its grip on the West Bank.
Autocrats are not and will never be friends. They are sociopaths who are only led by their own egos. We are learning the lesson with Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and Russia.
This is not the time yet for the US to redefine its policy towards Israel: however, we should all agree that the current policy cannot be maintained, and it is Netanyahu who betrayed Israel’s alliance with the United States.
This is a profound change of mindset.
