Israeli Analysts Warn of Declining Global Patience, Netanyahu's Security Escalation

Israeli analysts are warning that global patience with Israel is rapidly diminishing due to the actions of Israel and its settlers in the occupied West Bank. Ahead of upcoming Israeli elections, a tense atmosphere is expected, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly seeking to escalate security issues, believing it will benefit him electorally.

Dr. Michael Milstein, a researcher at Tel Aviv University's Rabin Center, criticized the Israeli decision-makers' narrative that international criticism stems from antisemitism or attempts to appease Muslim communities. He argued that the world perceives Israel as strategically adrift, increasingly extremist, and driven by messianic concepts like the "Promised Land" and the "destruction of Amalek." Milstein pointed to growing discrimination against minorities, citing Minister Smotrich's "Judaization of the Galilee" campaign and the normalization of the Arab community's exclusion as examples. He stated that the world, particularly the West, does not deny Israel's right to exist but has legitimate criticisms regarding the move towards a one-state reality, the refusal to address the Palestinian issue, and the escalating violence from the West Bank.

Milstein also challenged Netanyahu's claim that extremist settlers harm the settlement project, calling the "settler revolution" a factional project disguised as a national one. He asserted that Israel is creating a bleeding, Balkanized reality in the West Bank, losing normalization prospects, and its image is becoming akin to apartheid-era South Africa by absorbing millions of Palestinians without defining their status. He stressed that national resilience requires international legitimacy and internal cohesion, both of which are in sharp decline.

Amos Harel, a military analyst for Haaretz, addressed Netanyahu's recent claims of impending attacks, which the IDF denied. Harel suggested Netanyahu is attempting to heat up the security arena to foster a sense of escalating emergency, potentially to delay elections if polls remain unfavorable. Harel also noted Netanyahu's anxiety stems from recent reports about ignored warnings prior to October 7th, and that some neighboring countries would welcome his departure. He added that Defense Minister Israel Katz is prioritizing planning new offensive operations in West Bank refugee camps over addressing systematic settler violence, aiming to shift Palestinian security forces' focus towards Israel and ultimately collapse the Palestinian Authority, despite ongoing close security coordination with them.