Fall of a liberal democracy? ‘Netanyahu pushing Israel into complete isolation, into a pariah state’

Fall of a liberal democracy? ‘Netanyahu pushing Israel into complete isolation, into a pariah state’

Now, this comes as a team of independent experts from the UN Human Rights Council has announced that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. The findings by the three member team are the latest accusations of genocide against Netanyahu’s government. At least 60,000 people have been killed in the almost 2 years since the war broke out. Half of them women and children. Now, in a moment, I’ll be talking to our international affairs desk uh editor, James Andre. But first, let me cross to London to speak to Professor Yossi Meccleberg, a senior fellow at Chattam House. Uh, Professor Meckleberg, thank you for your time. With Israel’s massive ground incursion into Gaza City now underway, we know that the Israeli army chief has told a parliamentary committee he’s not been given any clear guidance on what is next. So, what level of discord now exists within the IDF over the war in Gaza? Good afternoon. Thank you for having me. I think from the the first time that this decision, this proposal to enter into Gaza City was put on the cabinet table, the chief of staff Zamir was against it. Was against it because he believes first and foremost it won’t bring the hostages back. He think that it it involves an an army that has been military that been two years constant war on multi front, seven fronts at least. There is fatigue which creeps into into the military into an urban warfare which also the the most difficult and as a result of it can might also end in in committing potentially more more war crimes and without understanding what is the strategy behind it what how it’s going to advance Israeli political aims there appears to be no clear exit strategy does there? No, there is no exist strategy because from the beginning the main priority was eliminating Hamas. Then added also the releasing of of the of the hostages. But eliminating Hamas is it’s it’s a slogan. It’s a mantra. What does it mean? defitting it to a point that you can negotiate with it some political arrangement or even as even the Arab League said won’t Hamas won’t won’t play a role in governing Gaza in the future or what more and more seems to be the case as you know after the the the air strike in Dha that it means literally basically eliminating almost every single member of Hamas. If this is the aim right now, this is a war that will never end. And more and more we see that actually the aim is more than to save the hostages is to save Netanyahu and Netanyahu’s government because he doesn’t want to the war to end. It will lead to investigation into his capability into October 7, 2023. It will probably lead to for action. So he will continue the war as long as it suits his political his political needs. Let me just pause there for a moment, Yosi, as we listen to what the families of those remaining hostages in Gaza who are now setting up camp in front of the prime minister’s residence in Jerusalem. This is what they had to tell reporters earlier. We heard the bombs are getting stronger all over Gaza. our children out there. The prime minister instead of saving our children is bombing their them. We arrived late last night to send a clear and straight message to the government and of course the prime minister of Israel. We will not leave this place until you give us all our loved ones back. If you don’t stop the war now and bring back all the hostages, you will be responsible for the death and the disappearance of all the remaining hostages dead and alive. And listening to those responses is Professor Yossi Meleberg from Chatten House in London. Yossi, how much actual support is there in Israel for this incursion into Gaza City? I think if you look most Israelis support actually what we just heard from the families of the hostages for many months they say for now the priority should be reaching a deal that will see the hostages returning home not continuing the war it’s not that Israel is if you look at the opinion p are against defeating defeating kamas definitely don’t want to see kamas plays a role in in future Palestinian government, but for them the priority and they say it week after week when they protest, thousands of them protest in the streets, they want to see the hostages back. This is also the military because this is part of the ethos of the Israeli society. You don’t leave an injured person, a soldier, a a civilian in in the battlefield and you don’t leave hostages in in in captivity. Definitely not for two years. And Netanyahu is the first prime minister to completely ignore that. And this is the same prime minister by the way that released more than thousand Palestinians prisoner for one for for one Israeli soldier that was take captive 20 years ago. Yosi, I just want to talk about this other element which is last night Prime Minister Netanyahu was addressing a conference where he admitted Israel is facing increasing isolation on the world stage and will have to become more self-reliant in the years to come. He said the nation would have to be a super sparter in apparent uh reference to the isolationist and warrior policies pursued by the ancient Greek city state. And of course, this comes as mounting international pressure and restrictions threaten Israel’s access to global trade and weapons imports. Let’s just hear what he told the conference. Western Europe has large Islamist minorities. They’re vocal. Many of them are politically motivated. They align with Kamas. They align with Iran. They pressure the governments of Western Europe. many of whom are kindly disposed to Israel, but they see that they’re being um overtaken really by campaigns of uh violent protest and constant intimidation. And so they they fall into this siege and we can break this siege. With me is Professor Meckleberg from Chattam House in London. The Tel Aviv stock exchange plummeted in the wake of those comments. How is the prime minister’s statements landing with Israel’s that the country has to prepare to become effectively a pariah state keeping in mind it’s already a very polarized society. Absolutely right. I mean this was quite a between bizarre and scary speech by by Netanyahu. He’s developing again in order for him to stay in power in our camps with a new narrative. his narrative, you know, for months he would say, “Oh, we’re just one step ahead from from total victory.” That hasn’t happened. So, he tried to increase the pressure as we see in in in Gaza city. Then he said or Israel will never be in a better political situation among nation and what he sees exactly the opposite happened. He pushes Israel into becoming a paran state. Even what he want to achieve that’s preventing recognition in Palestinian state more more more and more countries are actually going to recognize that without the war probably would not have recognized Palestinian state without the peace agreement and you know if you look at the history of super of Sparta and I don’t know what is a superparta it didn’t this is a country that or political entity that didn’t last for very long so if this is the idea a country that was actually it’s its achievements, its success was is because it was a liberal democracy, because it was close to the most development countries in the world and even a rich peace agreement and normalization with other countries in the Middle East. And all of this is going to be reversed as a result of a prime minister that push Israel into complete isolation. One final element, Yossi, because I know you have to rush off, but in the meantime, the US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, left Israel. He flew directly to Qatar. His visit, obviously, coming one week after that attack by Israel on Hamas uh political leaders inside the Emirate. Of course, it drew widespread condemnation. Uh let’s just take a listen to what Rubio told reporters as he arrived in Qatar. We have a very short window of time in which a deal could happen. We don’t have months anymore and uh we probably have days and maybe a few weeks. So, it’s a key moment. If any country in the world can help mediate it, Qatar is the one. They’re the ones that can do it. Now, I don’t know if they can after what happened, but I think they could. If anyone can, they can. Y in the wake of that strike on Qatar, just how much damage has Israel done with the populations of neighboring Arab countries that were planning to increase ties with Israel. We saw yesterday the summit in Dha the whole outcome the nation of Israel someone like president of Egypt ais that you know had close relation with with Israel talks about putting under danger a peace agreement peace agreement that was signed in 1979 and we’ve held many at times and many pressures the normalization with with the UAE and Bahra I mean this kind of behavior by The current Israeli government makes many countries see Israel as the most destabilizing force right now in in the Middle East. When a country attacks thousands of kilometers away from home, a country which is not an enemy country, a country that is mediated a ceasefire, a country that was never an attack coming from originated from its own soil and trying to kill the negotiating team of the Hamas of Hamas that can lead to to a ceasefire agreement. Of course, across the region ask themselves if this is a rational, logical government that they can do business with. Finally, just how far do you think the US is ready to support Netanyahu on its Gaza military plans? And won’t that hurt its own relationship with its Middle East allies? This is this is this is a great question which is very difficult to answer because right now the the natan’s government behavior harms also US interests and in Qatar is the biggest US base outside the United States. the the Israel apparently doesn’t consult the United States doesn’t consult Washington of taking such a measure against an ally and in this sense you really ask yourself the question why the United States supported we saw before Trump was inaugurated is was the one that pushed to a ceasefire but you’re also allowed for Israel to violate back in March the ceasefire caused the starvation there by by stopping humanitarian aid and doesn’t stop the what what’s happening right now the assault on on Gaza. So this question I think should should be asked but should be asked you know people close to to Trump Trump himself why he allows this to happen and how does how does it serves American interest because I don’t see this as in any shape or form serves US national interest. Professor Yossi Mackleberg a senior fellow at Chattam House in London. Thank you so much again for your

No exit strategy. Critics say Prime Minister Netanyahu is prolonging the Gaza war to serve his political survival, not Israel’s security. From the outset, eliminating Hamas was declared the priority, but was it nothing more than a mere slogan? As families of the hostages push for a deal, and an end to the war, Netanyahu opts for escalation, aware that the road to peace could trigger investigations into his “culpability” in the October 7 attacks. As Israel risks increased isolation on the world stage, Annette Young welcomes Yossi Mekelberg, Senior Consulting Fellow at MENAP, Chatham House.
#Israel #GazaWar #BenjaminNetanyahu

🔔 Subscribe to France 24 now: https://f24.my/YTen
🔴 LIVE – Watch FRANCE 24 English 24/7 here: https://f24.my/YTliveEN

🌍 Read the latest International News and Top Stories: https://www.france24.com/en/

Like us on Facebook: https://f24.my/FBen
Follow us on X: https://f24.my/Xen
Bluesky: https://f24.my/BSen and Threads: https://f24.my/THen
Browse the news in pictures on Instagram: https://f24.my/IGen
Discover our TikTok videos: https://f24.my/TKen
Get the latest top stories on Telegram: https://f24.my/TGen