It is difficult now to assert that any one of these narratives can be believed, for deception is part of war. But what is certain is that the Israelis have lived through unprecedented days since the establishment of their state. The bombardment and destruction that struck their sensitive sites, neighbourhoods, and homes will remain etched in their collective memory. The flight of thousands of them by land and sea is evidence that the so-called “Promised Land” is not as safe as they once believed. The reverse migration of their distinguished elites did not begin today. Russian expert on Israeli affairs, Artyom Karpechyonk, mentioned that hundreds of thousands had left Israel even before October 7, 2023, and the wave of departure reached its peak with the arrival of Iranian missiles.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz illustrated this reversal with a caricature showing a flight attendant on an El Al plane flying out of the country asking if there was a doctor on board for an emergency – only to see all the passengers raise their hands!
The attack on Iran was not a cake walk, as the ruling clique in Israel had imagined, despite the heavy losses Tehran suffered. Those who try to downplay this event fail to appreciate the significance of both the material and psychological factors in a decisive battle of a kind the Middle East has not seen since the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate. One must not underestimate the self when qualitative achievements are made in a historic confrontation. Israel’s plea for American support in this war is a clear sign of its inability to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities alone and its need for a heavyweight partner. The remarks of former Israeli ambassador to Paris, Elie Barnavi, reflect the deep crisis and disappointment of the Israeli secular elite, who had worked hard to transform Zionism into a “modern” state project, only to see this state fall into the hands of what he described as “a gang that combines fundamentalism and fascism.”
Netanyahu is trying to capitalise on the pause in fighting with Tehran – which he portrays as a “historic victory” – to rally public opinion around him and continue his criminal path. Gaza remains his primary target, and he still expresses a strong desire to break the back of the resistance in hopes of forcing Hamas into submission, or at least bending it to conditions that would weaken its resolve. Although Gaza has exposed the true nature of the Israeli state – oppressive, expansionist, inhumane, and racist – thus turning global public opinion against it, Netanyahu is currently tightening the noose around Gaza’s people while hiding behind his dubious “victory” over Iran. He is once again trying to revive his alliance with Western governments that have betrayed their own peoples for the thousandth time to maintain loyalty to Zionism.
Despite the political and military earthquake that struck the region over the past three weeks, the “Arab system” maintained its deep and baffling slumber. Its clock did not move; its rulers did not reassess their positions, nor did they adjust their loyalties. The major actors that emerged clearly were all from outside the Western camp. Two countries had a distinctive rhythm: Pakistan, which – despite its strong ties with Washington – declared without hesitation its alignment with Iran, which was well received; and Erdoğan’s Türkiye, which openly and explicitly rejected Israeli arrogance and placed its army on alert.
The twelve-day war will not be forgotten easily. It will remain engraved in everyone’s memory. What is certain is that the project of “Greater Israel” will not pass – and even if it attempts to, it will encounter successive barriers ready to stop it.
[by Slaheddine Jourchi in Al-Araby Al-Jadeed]
Compiled and translated by Faizul Haque
