The Fall Guy

The State of Israel has never been so publicly humiliated as it is now. To say that the animosity toward the Jewish state is unprecedented would be an understatement.

The saddest part about this fact is that it is the net result of the worst atrocity committed against the Jewish people since the Holocaust. A crime carried out by an Iran-backed and financed Hamas, whose crimes against humanity rival those of Nazi Germany.

That atrocity should have brought Israel a major increase in sympathy and support. And it did - for about ‘five minutes’. It didn’t take long for the world to condemn Israel’s military response against Hamas in Gaza. Early on, an explosion near a Gaza hospital was immediately blamed on an Israeli airstrike. Protests erupted almost overnight on college campuses across the country.

Even though it was soon shown that the explosion near that hospital was the result of a failed rocket fired at Israel by Islamic Jihad - falling short of its target, the anti-Israel narrative stuck. Since then, animosity toward Israel’s conduct in the war has only increased. By what seems like orders of magnitude.

The American people have been divided over Israel’s war in Gaza. But the momentum has been steadily shifting in the direction of disapproval. I am not going to rehash all the details about why this has happened, other than to say that the horrific images—paired with a narrative blaming Israel exclusively - is why animosity has only grown. Today, it seems that only the U.S. government is still defending Israel.

While I am absolutely convinced of the rectitude of Israel’s defensive posture, there is no convincing its detractors. Images speak louder than the most lucid justifications. That is also why so many prominent progressive politicians and entertainment figures - many of them Jewish - feel the same way.

A common denominator in all this is Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. He is being blamed for it all. Again, I won’t go into too much detail, but suffice it to say that there seems to be a universal feeling among Israel’s detractors that Netanyahu’s determination to retain power at all costs is what is driving the war.

Their perception is that his military tactics are being driven by extremist right-wing politicians like Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom openly call for an Israel from the ‘river to the sea’ - by annexing all of Gaza, Judea, and Samaria. That would restore Israel to its biblical borders. In pursuit of that goal, Palestinians unwilling to accept annexation would be ethnically cleansed. This was essentially the ‘solution’ proposed decades ago by Rabbi Meir Kahane.

Netanyahu is no follower of Rabbi Kahane. His ‘solution’ is as unlikely to happen now as is a Palestinian state. Neither is a sane policy.

But it doesn’t really matter what I believe, or even that the truth is on Israel’s side. The world has been duped into believing what it sees instead of believing the truth. Hamas has worked their ‘magic’. Their deadly tactics, which include sacrificing their own women and children and then blaming Israel, have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

That Hamas’s leadership has been destroyed is, at best, a temporary victory for Israel. If they are left to fight another day, they will reconstitute their ranks faster than you can say ‘Jack rabbit’. More than ever, Palestinian youth are ‘chomping at the bit’ to become Hamas fighters for a Palestine ‘from the river to the sea.”

A permanent ceasefire now without ridding Gaza of Hamas, (which seems to be what everybody wants) would mean they will soon return to full strength. This is why I believe Netanyahu is right in trying to destroy them. I’m just not sure he will succeed - unless he kills every Palestinian youth in Gaza. And that WOULD be genocide.

The stakes are high. The repercussions of failure are unacceptable. Yet the growing global animosity toward Israel - framing its war as genocide - could turn Israel into a pariah state boycotted by the entire world, including the U.S. - if the next presidential election is won by a progressive Democrat. Not all that far-fetched considering the likelihood of anti Israel progressive, Zorhan Mamdani becoming the next mayor of New York.

As I keep saying, I have no answers. Only questions. Whatever side one takes, the downside is unacceptable.

A lot of people think Netanyahu has damaged Israel’s reputation forever. Even though I still think he is one of the most effective and consequential leader in Israel’s history. He has nevertheless become a lightning rod for criticism. As long as he stays in office that will continue. And probably increase. Once he is out, it is very possible that the next leader will be able to restore Israel’s good image. Despite all the negative news being reported about Israel today, all the positive contributions Israel has made to the world are still in place. With the potential for many more to come. Once the war is concluded, which will hopefully be soon, this can resume. Under a new leader that will not be associated with the tactics of the war for which Israel is so strongly now disparaged.

Netanyahu will then become the fall guy for all that Israel has been blamed for. Something he does not deserve—especially if he somehow manages to succeed in ridding Gaza of Hamas. But with what seems like the entire world increasingly branding him a war criminal, his departure from the scene will surely help restore Israel’s image.

For me this is a very unfair outcome for someone who – regardless of his many faults - has dedicated his life to the Jewish people. The irony is striking: a leader whose tactics succeeded in achieving what was once thought impossible—like the destruction of Hezbollah (which directly led to the overthrow of the Assad regime in Syria) or the dismantling of Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities - could end up as the fall guy for all of Israel’s critics in the world. Sadly, it could very well happen. It may even need to happen.

How will history judge him? We cannot know yet. That will depend, in part, on who writes the history. But it will not stop speculation. Depending on whom you ask, you will hear opposite answers. Will he be remembered as the Winston Churchill of Israel? Or as the greatest war criminal in its history? Only time will tell.