Netanyahu’s Cost to America and the West

The United States has a long history with Israel characterized by absolute support at every level. Perhaps the clearest and strongest support came during the war of October 1973 when Golda Meir called on President Richard Nixon for help. Thus began the longest military aid plan in history. The weapons and tanks went straight from the United States to the field of battle. Such support has political and historical roots in the partisan backing for Israel in Washington, in World War II, and in the West’s negligence in facing the Nazi massacre in Europe. The defense of Israel has always been great, but it has also always borne the strategic interest of American and the Western world, which have maintained access and influence in Israeli politics and decision-making. Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent behavior in the region is viewed as blackmail with regard to America and the West. Netanyahu knows they will not leave Israel to face danger alone, so he engages in military and security ventures and places America and the Western world in danger while they are restrained from forcing Netanyahu to face the cost of his actions and military and security ventures.

The first cost Netanyahu imposes is his extreme rejection of a two-state solution. This is a high political and diplomatic price that complicates the mission of Western and American diplomats and their military as it puts them at odds with their Arab allies. Additionally, the West appears incapable of pushing Netanyahu to a more logical solution that complies with international law. This strategy, albeit temporary, led to a war in Gaza described as vengeful and one that carries a high humanitarian cost. This is the greatest embarrassment for America and the West, who rant about human rights. The embarrassment comes as Israel commits war crimes and imposes forced starvation, threatening civilians in violation of the international law the whole world claims to respect and obey while seeking to punish those who don’t. The world continues to back Israel in the war at the price of political, legal and moral embarrassment in the wake of Israeli war crimes.

There was also Israel’s bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, when Israel once again forced the world to save it militarily. And most recently, Israel assassinated Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, something the world viewed as a departure from the rules of engagement. The expectation is that there will be a calculated Iranian response; however, the West and America will pay a price. They will find themselves forced to come to Israel’s defense again. The world will bear the price of Netanyahu’s policies and regional military ventures.

There is no way this situation can continue. Netanyahu cannot possibly keep acting as if he has the world’s support in his pocket. No logic or history says it’s possible, and there is no escaping the fact that a time will come when the world will tell Netanyahu and those like him on the right that it will not pay the cost of his political and military madness and his determination to avoid a political solution. Netanyahu is exhausting Israel’s international credit, transforming it from a state the Western world believes deserves absolute support to a controversial state whose behavior in being increasingly rejected every day.