Insights from London conference Israels existence hangs in the balance

Insights from London conference: Israel's existence hangs in the balance

TEHRAN- Israel’s failure to meet its objectives during the genocidal war on the Gaza Strip has widened rifts among Israeli officials, the media corps and the regime’s supporters.

Since launching war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to perpetuate the conflict until achieving “total victory” over Hamas by “destroying” the resistance group. 

More than a year into the onslaught, Israel has not succeeded in eliminating Hamas. 

In June, the Israeli military spokesman challenged Netanyahu’s claim of defeating Hamas. 

“The idea that it is possible to destroy Hamas, to make Hamas vanish — that is throwing sand in the eyes of the public,” Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told Israel’s Channel 13. 

In August, war minister Yoav Gallant also dismissed Netanyahu’s “total victory” slogan as “gibberish”.  

The US intelligence community and the Israeli army’s intelligence have also acknowledged Netanyahu’s inability to defeat Hamas. 

Growing divisions among Israelis were highlighted in the wake of a conference held in the British capital on October 27.  

The London conference titled “Israel After October 7th: Allied or Alone?” was sponsored by Israel's newspaper Haaretz.

The event featured speakers from across Israeli and UK politics, academia and media.

Haaretz’s publisher, Amos Schocken, came down hard on Netanyahu and his cabinet as he opened the event.

Schocken accused the Netanyahu cabinet of “imposing a cruel apartheid regime” on the Palestinian Arab population and called for imposing sanctions on Israeli leaders. 

Israelis and the regime’s Western allies are deeply concerned that Netanyahu’s military failures will jeopardize the regime’s survival. He said the Israeli military action “in the occupied territories and in part of Gaza is a second Nakba.” 

The Nakba, or catastrophe, refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine and the near-total destruction of Palestinian society in 1948.

Haaretz like other Israeli and Western media do not care a whit about the lives of Palestinians. Israel has killed more than 43,300 people in Gaza since October last year under the pretext of hitting positions of the Hamas resistance group. 

Schocken’s criticism of Netanyahu arises from concerns that his warmongering may jeopardize Israel's survival.

The premier has been accused of prolonging the war to keep himself in power and turning a blind eye to the interests of the Zionist entity. 
Schocken’s speech angered the Israeli cabinet. The regime’s Interior Ministry said on October 31 that “until further notice,” all “publication and collaborations” with Haaretz would be canceled following his “anti-Israel” comments.  Some other ministries followed suit. 

Divisions regarding Israel’s unsuccessful military operations in Gaza were further highlighted amid comments made by some other speakers. 

Speaking at the conference, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert said the Gaza war should have ended months ago. 

“Israel should pull out completely from Gaza and embark immediately on negotiations… for a two-state solution,” Olmert said. 

Elsewhere, Arab Israeli Knesset member Ayman Odeh, of the Hadash-Taal Party, demanded that the UK “end all military, financial and diplomatic support” to Israel. 

British Labour lawmaker Hamish Falconer, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, defended withholding arms export licenses to Israel.

Mick Davis, a former Conservative Party chief executive and leader of the Jewish Leadership Council, also said “Israel’s existential threat is entirely internal and not external,” The Guardian reported. 

Some other speakers lashed out at Netanyahu’s far-right ministers, namely National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

Such critical remarks reflect deep concerns regarding the existential threat facing Israel.  

Israel is sinking deeper and deeper into the quagmire of the Gaza war. The regime’s international isolation is also growing day by day in the wake of its atrocities in Gaza which have now expanded to Lebanon. 

Israel’s war on Gaza followed a surprise military operation carried out by Hamas on October 7 last year.  The attack, which shattered the image of Israel’s invincibility, is dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm. 

Currently, the London conference highlights the West’s concerns that a new offensive similar to Operation Al-Aqsa Storm may lead to the downfall of the Israeli apartheid regime.

 

source: tehrantimes.com