Israel is losing this war
JVL Introduction
In this must-read article, two of the best US commentators on Middle East politics, Tony Karon and Daniel Levy, join together in a rich, inspiring and wide-ranging assessment of the state of play in the current war and the longer-term possibilities.
What comes after this war is unclear but Hamas’s action on October 7 has ensured that there can be no return to the status quo ante.
Much of the focus in this article is on understanding Hamas. It clearly meant October 7 “to have transformative effects across Palestine.”
It seems willing to sacrifice its control over a besieged Gaza to cement its status as a national resistance organisation.
“Western politicians and media like to fantasize that Hamas is an ISIS-style nihilistic cadre holding Palestinian society hostage; Hamas is, in fact, a multifaceted political movement rooted in the fabric and national aspirations of Palestinian society. It embodies a belief, grimly affirmed by decades of Palestinian experience, that armed resistance is central to the Palestinian liberation project because of the failures of the Oslo process and the intractable hostility of its adversary. And its influence and popularity have grown as Israel and its allies keep thwarting a peace process and other nonviolent strategies for pursuing Palestinian liberation.”
This article was originally published by The Nation on Fri 8 Dec 2023. Read the original here.
Israel is losing this war
Despite the violence it has unleashed on Palestinians, Israel is failing to achieve its political goals.
Loading article text…
This is an excellent article – thanks for posting it.
One small caveat:
“there are vast differences between a US expeditionary war in a distant land and Israel’s war to defend an occupation at home.”
Some of us would argue that zionism is de facto “a US (imperialist) expeditionary war in a distant land” by another name.
This is the most comprehensive account of the genocide in Gaza to date. Objective, well researched truthful and will stand the test of time. Well done JVL
Yes, VERY good article..very thought provoking..thank you.
I think the fact that the Israeli economy is rocky is a massive weakness for the Netanyahu regime and could well blow up in his face especially with increased biting disinvestment, boycott and sanctions.
Having also to ‘evacuate’ thousands of Israelis from towns and villages along the Northern border with Lebanon must also add to the stresses and strains within with all the reservists on alert .
Netanyahu ,Mr Security and The whole Israeli Military regime, clearly failed in their supposed task to stop what happened on Oct 7th(unless they did actually know of it in advance and let it happen in a very very big gamble) when Israeli ‘friendly fire’ was also responsible for many Israeli deaths the full extent we dont know and The Israeli public will demand to know isnt going to be easy for Netanyahu to spin his way of or circumvent.
Treating the relatives of The Israeli hostages with contempt and dismissing their concerns by starting to flood the tunnels in Gaza simply aint clever ‘domestic’ politics.
He is treading on very very thin ice,already mired in deep corruption,gambling on a great deal while trying to hold together his volatile and erratic regime of fascists and military hawks while also trying to fight The Palestinian People on all fronts in Gaza, Palestine 48, The Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as fighting on The Lebanese border and bombing Syria while no doubt gagging to ‘nuke’ Iran.
Contemptuously disregarding massive Global opposition,World opinion, dismissing The views of the majority of countries at The UN, Netanyahu and his regime stands increasingly alone and isolated along with The US and Britain as it’s strongest most loyal backers are both mired in crisis.
Biden is clearly not up to the task…
[cut to our limit of 300 words – admin]
Thank you for a balanced article unlike those in most other sites.
Israel is generally reckoned to possess one of the most efficient intelligence and security services in the world. It therefore defies belief to imagine that that they were caught entirely unawares by the October 7 attack, quite apart from the warnings they are known to have received from Egyptian, and possibly other, sources.
Given that the Israeli government was facing repeated opposition for its attempt to override the country’s Supreme Court, and Netanyahu himself was looking at criminal charges, it seems highly likely that a possible attack by Hamas was seen as a welcome diversion, though no doubt the scale and the murderousness of the attack wasn’t anticipated.
As this excellent article makes clear, the October 7 events have put the issue of Palestinian/ Israeli relations very much back on the agenda. The tragedy is that so many innocent people, both Palestinian and Israeli, should have had to die to make that happen.
In addition the cal up of thousands of Israeli reservists means that they arent now contributing to the Israeli economy as they arent at their computer terminals selling high tech, surveillance, AI arms and weapons and cyber Warfare gear etc.
The agriculture in Israeli is also suffering very badly,many products often left to rot as there arent now the workers whether Palestinian, Thai, Filipino or Nepalese to pick them.
The Houthis actions against shipping through The Red sea in solidarity with The Palestinian People In Gaza is also contributing to the further weakening of the Israeli neo-liberal economy and having an effect on The World economy which Is why The US is responding as it is with it’s so called ‘task force’.
It is crucial the racist Israeli Apartheid state is isolated and treated as a pariah rogue state.
A Global blockade of trade with Israel is necessary, blocking all trade coming in and all trade coming out.
Boycott, Divest and Sanctions are starting to have a greater effect with numerous firms and companies pulling out such as Puma The Mega Sportswear company dropping it’s sponsorship of The Israeli football team.