Magazine
Rather than focus on whether or not Netanyahu was party to the leaks, we should ask why the security establishment suppressed information that would have supported the prime minister’s position.
Rather than debate which candidate would be more supportive, we should focus on how Israel can achieve real independence & no longer feel our country so vulnerable to the results of US elections.
In a moment when US & Israeli interests were clearly at odds, Gallant chose to go along with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s dramatic war on Hezbollah.
While it’s clear that Yoav Gallant should be removed from his post, there’s one potential replacement Prime Minister Netanyahu should strongly consider.
The larger picture coming into focus today is that Washington doesn’t actually want Israel to win.
Tehran’s erroneous analysis & war strategy stem from a principled ignorance of Israel’s true identity.
The Americans are more committed than ever to a ‘two-state solution’ & clearly view Netanyahu as the primary obstacle to their agenda for the region.
Despite his many flaws, Prime Minister Netanyahu is the only national leader that recognizes US regional interests as a threat to Israel’s existence.
Because Netanyahu resisted Biden’s pressure on the ground incursion, the next point of contention between Washington & Jerusalem centers on who should take responsibility for Gaza after the war.
The horrors inflicted by Hamas over the weekend have sparked intense feelings of vulnerability & anger throughout Israel & the Jewish Diaspora.
The realization of this government’s potential will depend on the readiness of its ministers to think in a new way that transcends the ostensible friction between Jewish particularism & universal values.
The Israeli public & Jewish Diaspora need to see that Israel can resist US pressure, apply sovereignty to the West Bank & become a more deeply Jewish society without excluding or marginalizing anyone.