A picture showing part of the devastation that befell Gaza (French)

After 150 days of war, it is time for every Israeli to ask themselves honestly: Are we better off now than we were on October 6, 2023?

Are we stronger or safer?

Do we have greater deterrence?

Are we more popular?

Are we proud of ourselves?

Are we more united?

Are we better in any way?

With these questions, the writer Gideon Levy began an article in which he tried to evaluate what Israel has gained from the current war so far. He went on to say that the unbelievable thing is that the answer to all of these questions is an unequivocal “no.”

The 150 days were harsh and difficult - as Levy says - and they did not produce anything in favor of Israel and will not benefit it in anything, neither in the short term nor in the long term. On the contrary, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) emerged stronger and became the champion of the Arab world. Without a doubt, no matter how thick it is.

What makes Levy surprised is that most Israelis, despite what happened, want an additional 150 days of the same situation, so there is no opposition to the war, after 5 months of death and destruction on an unprecedented scale, and after Israel became an outcast and hated all over the world, stained with blood and damaged. economically.

There is not a single area where the country is better off after these dark months. Israel is now much less safe than it was before the war, and faces the risk of regional escalation, global sanctions, and loss of American support. It is also less democratic, and the accumulated damage will remain after the withdrawal of its forces. From Gaza, as the writer sees it.

A pariah state

As for Israel's international standing - according to the writer - Tel Aviv has never been an outcast to this extent before, to the point that its guaranteed relations with the United States have deteriorated to a level it has never witnessed before, in addition to the fact that the death toll of soldiers is rising, and the detainees have not yet been released, Tens of thousands of Israelis have been internally displaced, half of the country has become a danger zone, and the West Bank is threatened by explosion, and nothing can hide the deep hatred that Israel has succeeded in sowing in Gaza, the West Bank, and the Arab world, according to the writer.

What blindness is this, what is this state of moral dullness: “Let them starve and thirst, let them suffocate, let them die.” Even the left and the media have adopted this way of thinking, with their eyes covered, no one stops to ask where we are going?

Although there is no improvement in sight as long as Israel stubbornly rejects every proposal for radical change, Israelis want more of the same, like a gambler who has lost all his money but is still convinced that one more bet will make him win the jackpot.

With 100 Palestinians being killed every day, the Israelis - according to the writer - seem convinced that the death of another 30,000 would turn Gaza into a paradise, or at least a safe place. The writer wonders, “What kind of blindness is this and what is this state of moral dullness?”

He believes that even the left and the media have adopted a way of thinking: “Let them starve and thirst, let them suffocate, let them die,” with their eyes covered, no one stopping to ask where are we going?

Source: Haaretz