Netanyahu’s war gamble ...
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Even Israel’s long-standing ally, the United Kingdom, has started to distance itself from Netanyahu’s policies. British officials have issued harsh criticisms and imposed sanctions on several far-right Israeli figures.
In another telling sign, the killing of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington underscores a growing anti-Zionist wave driven by the increasingly hardline stances of Netanyahu’s cabinet.
The United States has also begun backing away. The high cost of maintaining aircraft carriers like the USS Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, and Eisenhower in the Red Sea led President Donald Trump to order a cease-fire with Yemen’s Ansarullah Movement, which has been engaged in operations against Israel-linked vessels and targets inside the occupied territories in a show of solidarity with Gaza. As a result, a US cease-fire with Ansarullah came into force earlier in May, ending months-long air campaign that had been launched in support of Israel.
Netanyahu’s policies and actions are creating rifts even with other Western allies of Israel, with Canada, Spain, and France expressing growing concern over his heavy-handed tactics. Moreover, his alliance with extremist elements in his cabinet has fueled backlash, leading European countries to fear that continued support for Netanyahu could leave them out in the cold diplomatically.
Calls are now growing across Europe for Netanyahu to be put on trial. Over 100 countries are working to enforce a ruling from the International Criminal Court in The Hague that calls for his arrest.
All these show that the war in Gaza has turned into a war of attrition, with Israel being unbale to continue it. Tragically, much of the international community has turned a blind eye to Israel’s atrocities, including its move to block humanitarian aid convoys from reaching Gaza over the past two months. Those actions however further reveal Netanyahu’s political desperation, who is unlikely to retain a position of power once the Gaza conflict ends.
The Israeli prime minister and his wife Sara are caught up in a corruption scandal. The regime’s attorney general has repeatedly gone after Netanyahu over allegations of financial misconduct and for deliberately obstructing efforts to end the war. Despite opposition from top army generals who believe the conflict has worn down the military’s morale, Netanyahu continues to double down on his aggressive strategy to cling to power and buy time for his political survival.
Some reports now suggest the possibility of a military coup—an unprecedented development in the Israeli regime’s history. Dissatisfaction within the army has reached new heights, as many view Netanyahu’s insistence on continued bloodshed and militarized suppression of Gaza as unacceptable.
Netanyahu, however, is desperately trying to ride out the storm, hoping that staying in office will shield him with political immunity. Should he be ousted, it would be only a matter of time before he ends up behind bars.