Analysis: The Hamas war is more dangerous for Israel than the 1973 war
See Dr. Henry J. Barkey, professor of international relations at Lehigh University, said that the current war with Hamas represents a significantly more serious threat to Israel than the October War of 1973, fifty years ago: In 1973, the war was only military, as the Israelis succeeded, despite their suffering. Of very large losses, in detour. No one believed that the existence of the State of Israel was in danger at that time. But the situation is different this time, as it is a political war, and initial indications indicate that Israel is losing it, according to the German News Agency.
A snapshot of what Hamas described as firing anti-armor shells towards Israeli tanks and vehicles in Gaza (Reuters)
Barkey, a senior associate fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, says in a report published by the American magazine National Interest that this matter is more dangerous, as the danger relates to its legitimacy in the eyes of many. Israelis may see and believe that this is a mistake and that the brutality of the October 7 attack is being ignored. This does not matter, because impressions are impressions, and they do not disappear, and the massacre in Gaza feeds daily what Hamas declares about war.
“Let’s face it: It can probably be said that Hamas has already won the political battle,” Barkey says.
At the heart of this Israeli catastrophe lies one person: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He is, of course, fully responsible for Israel’s lack of readiness and for seeking to pass constitutional changes whose main goal was his personal interest.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Reuters)
Barkey adds that Netanyahu’s role in this tragedy is much greater, as he is an official without international credibility. Over the years, there has been his arrogance, lack of empathy and adoption of illegal and cruel policies in the occupied West Bank. Perhaps it was very shocking for everyone that he openly appointed racist politicians to his government and diplomatic corps.
“Let’s imagine for a moment that the descendants of victims of the Holocaust — humanity’s worst xenophobic experiment — find self-described racists involved in the upper levels of their government,” Barkey says. For your information, Netanyahu is not accepted and hated by many leaders who support Israel, and his presence at the head of the government makes it completely easy for people not to believe Israeli allegations and arguments. He demonstrated his complete inability to acknowledge responsibility for his failure by publicly blaming the intelligence leadership for the October 7 attack, and was forced to withdraw his statement under public pressure.
Therefore, in addition to the international community, why do Israelis trust Netanyahu to fight this war that has the country’s interests at its core? He knows that he is finished politically and will not escape the political accountability that will take place once the war ends. His only hope is to extract a “victory” in this war with “Hamas” to save his reputation. Overall, he is the prime minister who has spent the longest term in office in the country’s history, and this disaster will be what everyone will remember him by forever.
Part of the destruction as a result of the Israeli bombing on Jabalia camp yesterday (AFP)
He also refuses to comprehend the broader political picture, and insists on carrying out a disastrous war for which the Israelis were clearly not prepared. As a result, this war will get worse by the day, as evidenced by all the bombs killing Palestinian civilians, which undermine any support.
Barkey points out that the failure in the 1973 war led to the emergence of the right-wing movement at the expense of the Labor Party, which spent a long period in power in Israel. This time, one can also expect a similar outcome as Israeli voters will severely punish Netanyahu and the right. However, unlike the Labor Party, which calmly accepted its fate, one cannot be sure that Israel’s right wing still believes in democracy.
An Israeli military vehicle conducts maneuvers inside the Gaza Strip (EPA)
Barkey believes that if Netanyahu really wants to be remembered by Israelis in a somewhat acceptable light, or in a less hostile light, he must resign and support the formation of a national unity government under the leadership of someone who instills confidence inside the country and abroad.
One of the names being talked about is retired Israeli Air Force General Amos Yadlin.
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2023-11-02 13:59:35
