Yossi Schwartz ISL (RCIT section in Israel/Occupied Palestine), 13.05.2025
Today, Yoav Limor is lamenting the sinking of Israel, and he writes in Israel Today:
“It was hard not to be moved by the release of the soldier Idan Alexander. Every kidnapped person who manages to get out of Gaza alive is an open miracle, which instills hope that it will be possible to rescue more hostages who are languishing in the Hamas tunnels.
It is recommended, however, not to let the scenes of personal-family joy divert attention from the dangerous low point to which Israel descended during this liberation. It was carried out behind Israel’s back and without coordination with it, while the Trump administration was talking directly to a terrorist organization that Israel seeks to eradicate. Even without having to rely on promises that may have been made or hinted at by the Americans regarding humanitarian aid and a cessation of hostilities, Hamas received significant legitimacy from Washington for its existence.
The announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office that the release was the result of the military pressure exerted by Israel in the Gaza Strip was a clumsy attempt, destined to fail, to hide this reality. The military pressure is certainly painful for Hamas, but in this round the organization played its cards much better than Israel.
Anyone who claims that Israel “did not pay a price” is lying to himself and to the public: Even without releasing prisoners, as it would certainly have been required to do in a “regular” deal, the price it paid is many times higher and more dangerous on every possible level.
In the WhatsApp group of a reserve unit that is supposed to enlist next month for extended operations, one of the commanders wrote cynically yesterday that soldiers should hurry up and get a foreign passport before re-enlisting in combat. This refined the worrying feeling expressed by the families of other abductees as well, that instead of the Israeli government taking care of Alexander, who fought on its behalf and on its behalf, it was the United States that took care of him.
In recent days, it is hard to miss the disappointment of many on the Israeli right with Trump’s policy. Some of the speakers and writers give him grades; Others – Recommendations. Both are wrong twice: once, because Trump is not an Israeli emissary, but an American president who cares about his country’s interests. And secondly, because the person who is supposed to take care of the citizens of Israel is their prime minister and not a foreign leader – no matter how friendly he may be.
In this convergence of interests, Netanyahu made several dramatic mistakes, which led to Israel’s current dismal situation. As in the children’s drawings, one only needs to connect the dots to see the picture: the secret dialogue that the Americans conducted with the Houthis until they reached an agreement that left Israel to deal with them alone;
the dialogue they are holding with Abu Mazen and with the new Syrian leader, Al-Julani, who only a few months ago was their bitter enemy; the nuclear talks with Iran, on which Israel’s influence is marginal; And now the separate agreement with Hamas that led to Alexander’s release.
And you can expand the picture even more. For example, the agreements that Trump is expected to sign during his visit to three Gulf states, some of which – as reported yesterday by Israel Hayom – threaten Israel’s qualitative advantage and could pose a direct threat to its security in the future. Or the dramatic upgrade in the status of Turkey, which will host the Putin-Zelensky summit tomorrow and may collect dividends in the form of consolidating its position in Syria while posing a direct threat to Israel.
Sending a negotiating delegation to Doha is a necessary step. Still, talks alone or blaming Hamas will not help: the organization identifies the hole that Israel has dug for itself and will seek to exploit it to the fullest for profits”.[i]
As Gaza burns, more than 100,000 Israelis are traumatized by war. During the Vietnam War, psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton noted the growing number of people suffering from mental illness, drawing parallels between the psychological impact of war and the Hiroshima bombing. He emphasized the traumatic effects of both events, including the rise in PTSD as a diagnostic category. And while the rich capitalists have made huge profits, Netanyahu’s government is cutting the salaries of the public workers to pay for the criminal war, and this is the reason for the teachers and Doctors’ struggle. The teachers have formed an independent union, so we give this struggle of Jews and Arabs critical support.
For the Israelis to survive, it is necessary to break with Zionism and form, together with the Palestinians, a common future in the shape of one democratic state that will include the Palestinian refugees.
Israel out of Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria!
Exchange all Israelis and all Palestinian prisoners!
For one democratic state that will include the Palestinian refugees!
Endnotes:
[i] https://www.israelhayom.co.il/news/defense/article/17944936