Brussels – Benjamin Netanyahu is left with only his Stars and Stripes faithful ally. During a conference in Jerusalem on the sidelines of a meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Israeli PM admitted that Israel “finds itself in a kind of international isolation” and that the Jewish state should “develop its war industries” and “the ability to produce what it needs” within its borders.
If two years of carpet bombing of the civilian population in Gaza were not enough, the raid on Doha, capital of the Qatari mediator in the peace negotiations, has definitely thrown Tel Aviv into heavy diplomatic isolation. The next day, Israel’s “long-time friend”, Ursula von der Leyen, announced that the European Commission will propose to partially suspend the association agreement with the Jewish state and impose sanctions against some ministers of Netanyahu’s government. Today, the leaders of several Arab countries met in Doha for an emergency summit to decide on concrete measures following last week’s Israeli attack.
An attack that even upset the United States, which, together with Qatar, was trying to revive the already very fragile negotiations between Israel and Hamas to end the conflict. Rubio declared that Washington “will continue to encourage Doha to play a constructive role,” and criticised international efforts to recognise the State of Palestine (only two days ago at the UN General Assembly, 142 countries voted in favour of recognising an independent Palestinian state), branding them as “an obstacle to peace.” Only 10 countries opposed the UN resolution, including the United States, Viktor Orban’s Hungary, and Javier Milei’s Argentina.
While several partners, including European ones, still support Israel by virtue of long-standing economic agreements, the United States is now the only one that has not publicly distanced itself from the criminal conduct of Netanyahu’s government—in Gaza, but also in the West Bank and the entire region. The Israeli Prime Minister—who is subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, to which 125 states are signatories—is now aware of this: “We will increasingly need to adapt to an economy with autarchic characteristics,” he admitted, focusing on the repercussions this could have on Israel’s incessant military activities.
Netanyahu warned the audience: “We may find ourselves in a situation where our war industries are blocked. We will have to develop the war industries here, not only research and development, but also the ability to produce what we need.” Already in mid-August, Norway’s two trillion dollar sovereign wealth fund announced that it had sold one-fifth of its assets in the country. Slovenia has suspended the arms trade with Israel, and Spain has announced that it will impose a ban on the “buying and selling of arms, ammunition and military equipment” and the “transit through Spanish ports of ships with fuel destined for the Israeli army.” Only a few countries, but they reveal a trend. If the EU were to suspend the trade association agreement, it would be a blow to Tel Aviv.
However, the PM rejects any responsibility, and indeed— according to the Times of Israel—he first pointed the finger at Muslim immigrants in Europe, who have “pushed governments” in an anti-Israeli direction, and then at “certain states” that have allegedly orchestrated a campaign of hatred against the Jewish state. “One is China. The other is Qatar,” Netanyahu frontally attacked.
An “insane statement,” replied the Israeli opposition leader, Yair Lapid, according to whom the isolation is “the product of a wrong and failed policy of Netanyahu and his government,” which is “turning Israel into a third world country.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
