The insane and unabated atrocities in Gaza have already claimed nearly 41,000 lives, but still, Benjamin Netanyahu gets applauded for this madness by US Congress. The governments in Tel Aviv and Washington believe they are winning the war in Gaza, but in fact, they are scripting their demise by laying down land mines for themselves.
Israel let go of a big opportunity to end the Gaza war early by targeting Hamas targets and attempting to install an Israel-friendly alternative leadership. Instead, they continued their indiscriminate killings of innocent Palestinians, turning the tide of war against themselves. Hamas, a creation of the Zionist regime and long maligned as not the true representatives of the Palestinian people, has instead emerged as a genuine representative of Palestinians due to Israel's ongoing oppression. Additionally, setting the unachievable target of "total elimination" of Hamas as a precondition to ending the Gaza war and organising the brazen assassination of Ismail Haniyeh has just augmented the problems of the Zionist regime and inspired a new vigour to the indomitable Palestinian resistance.
The Gaza war has significantly impacted Israel's economy, resulting in a loss of $400 billion in potential economic activity for the next decade, with a $16 billion loss already recorded in the first quarter of 2024.
Netanyahu's prolongation of the conflict for political gain is not only deepening Israel's economic problems but also fueling strong anti-Israel sentiment among the Palestinian population. As President Joe Biden stated that there is no undefined concept of "total victory."
Waning support and simultaneously increasing global condemnation have become another headache for Israel. Especially when they were planning to build on the success of the Abraham Accords and establish formal ties with countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, etc. to improve their current geopolitical standing. Instead, 11 countries have recalled their ambassadors, with Bolivia severing its diplomatic ties with the occupying regime. Moreover, the atrocities in Gaza have landed Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to face proceedings against their “genocidal” crimes. Thus, the continued war crimes in Gaza have engendered an intractable diplomatic mess for Israel.
A hostile neighbourhood is another aftereffect of Israel’s madness and multi-frontal warfare, a flawed policy that led to Adolf Hitler’s demise is now their mainstay. Israel first heightened tensions within occupied Palestinian lands, then triggered brawls with Lebanon and Syria, and is now at odds with Iran and Yemen due to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and ongoing atrocities against Palestinians. Even worse is the impending Iranian retaliation that could simply be averted, if Israel agrees to an imminent ceasefire with Palestinian factions that currently looks unlikely due to the Zionist regime’s stubbornness.
Since the end of the Cold War, US support for Israel has lost its significance, with former president Richard Nixon admitting that Israel is no longer of “any enormous significance” to the US.
Israel itself has jeopardised its security and financial viability by opening multiple fronts of war, the latest being in the West Bank. And even worse is the impending retaliation from Iran after Hezbollah’s recent August 25 missile strikes
Political scientist John Mearsheimer further labeled Israel a "strategic liability," highlighting the madness of wasting US resources on an ally that has turned into a strategic liability suggesting the US support for Israel might lead to complications in American foreign policy and could contribute to regional instability.
US unwavering support for Israel has resulted in global diplomatic backlash, a rise in anti-American sentiment, and the expansion of the political clout of its geopolitical rivals, i.e., Russia and China. The recent China-backed reconciliation between Hamas and the Al Fatah group is a manifestation of it. Another downside of US backing of Israel’s mischievous actions has been a halt in progress on multiple important issues, including US-Iran nuclear talks, the Abraham Accords, and peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine.
Also, the US's aggressive patrolling in the Middle East has heightened tensions in this region and has also invited extra-territorial powers like Russia and China into the mix. This not only poses a direct threat to US naval hegemony there but also disrupts the flow of global trade through the Red Sea. In addition, this situation directly benefits Russia, as countries like China have already started to utilise the Arctic Sea route as an alternative to the tension-plagued Red Sea trade route. So instead of coercing Israel for an immediate ceasefire to end Houthi hostilities in the Red Sea, Washington opted to bomb the ruling group in Yemen, which is total insanity.
Support for Israel has led to a significant drop in US economic revenues, with some corporations reporting a 65% drop. Starbucks alone has lost $11 billion since expressing solidarity with Israel. But still, Washington vows to fund Israel's war crimes with additional aid of $26 billion besides annual funding. Ironically, the longest US government shutdown occurred for a paltry $5.7 billion in comparison.
As of March 2024, 55% of Americans disapproved of Israel's military operation in Gaza, illustrating the political polarisation and societal alienation brought about by the US's mistaken support of Israel. University students and other members of the public have responded to this with widespread protests that are evocative of the US' abortive effort in Vietnam.
Besides the great divide at home, the US is losing its soft power globally too. In a recent Al-Monitor poll, respondents from Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia, and Turkey expressed better favorability for leaders like Vladimir Putin at 44%, followed by Xi Jinping at 33%, while Joe Biden’s favorable views lie only at 21%. And this increasing unpopularity owing to the support of Israel is the reason behind Washington’s failure to rally support against Russia in the Ukraine war.
The US is suffering on the diplomatic, political, and economic front owing to its unwarranted support of Israel. Israel itself has jeopardised its security and financial viability by opening multiple fronts of war, the latest being in the West Bank. And even worse is the impending retaliation from Iran after Hezbollah’s recent August 25 missile strikes. So it would be wise for Israel and the US to fast-track the peace talks with Palestinians to avert these probable retaliation; otherwise, they should be wary of the fact that they are currently sitting on a pile of a powder keg. So they may be feeling high on this stockpile but should know that they would be the first casualty in case of an explosion. So besides two-state solutions, anything else would just be a recipe for disaster.