What has Israel lost over the last one year?
Now this question doesn’t cross your mind because the voices you hear and the words you read hide what is in plain sight.
The Houthis still continue with their blockade in Red Sea – a year has passed and the naval might of West which arose in defence of Tel Aviv has utterly failed to lift the siege.
What does it tell you about the naval might projection of the United States in the Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Oman etc? More so when the resistance movements are booming in Hashds of Iraq, al-Muqāwamat al-Sūriya of Syria, firing rockets and missiles right under the nose of US military bases in these countries? Why, the US military base in Syria is receiving attacks almost every week.
And what does it convey about the utter failure of US-imposed Sanctions on these recalcitrant actors who now control violence in these regions leaving their respective governments as side actors. Despite the Sanctions, there appears no shortage of sophisticated missiles, rockets and drones in their stocks.
This mass unrest has obliterated the Shia-Sunni divide in the Middle East where Iran is seen as a galvanizing force against the US-Israel colonization and has strengthened, not weakened, Tehran. The monarchies and despots of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are now clearly identified as stooges of US-Israeli imperium, hated by their masses, not to say by the Palestinians in the camps on their territory. A restive citizenry would get these monarchs and despots in due course.
Supply lines to these resistance groups remain unimpeded. And it’s not just Iran which is equipping Hamas and Hezbollahs to fire and attack the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces).
Make no mistake: Hamas is still on its feet after a year. It’s firing rockets and missiles at IDF forces in Gaza which implies that despite the ongoing genocide of Palestinians, the organisational and military infrastructure of Hamas is intact. Israel can no longer prop Fatah in West Bank as the voice of Palestinians as it stands discredited. Hamas are the heroes of not just Palestinians but all Muslims in the Middle East, not to say in Africa or in rest of the world.
Northern Israel is now empty. Hezbollahs from the southern Lebanon haven’t ceased pounding it for months now. Forget about the assassinations, pager attacks and killing of innocent civilians—Israel has suffered an exodus in its north which is unlikely to be anyone’s Promised Land for a long, long time. A Nasrallah gone won’t help as the Shura of senior leadership of Hezbollahs is intact and have only intensified attack on Israeli territory. The rubbles of southern Lebanon is a perfect shield for them. The IDF forces aren’t gaining ground and if Hamas is any guide, Beirut isn’t falling anytime soon. It implies a really long, long haul for Tel Aviv against an enemy which appears far more resilient and resourceful.
Israel’s air defense -Iron Dome, Patriots etc – is no longer viewed as impregnable despite the media propaganda. It explains why Israel made a lame retaliatory attack on Iran, that too after almost a month. There is another telling fact: Much of Israel’s missiles were intercepted by Iran. The loud thud heard thus was on account of this interception for there is no evidence of damage on the ground.
And look at the collateral damage: Israel’s economy is taking a real hit. Most multinational corporations and investors are wary of the disrupted supply chains due to the blockade. The workforce is dwindling due to the raining missiles from the sky. Most developmental and infra projects are stalled as the budget is now heavily allocated in favour of defense forces. Tourism? You must be joking.
The moral high ground of Israel and its backers, the West, primarily the United States, is in tatters. They can no longer lecture the rest of the world on Human Rights. Neoliberalism is nothing but a sleight of hand by the Colonialists. The warrants issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against individuals in Israel carries no implication. The murderous attacks on UN peacekeeping forces show the disdain which Israel-US has for the world order. The Global South has taken note and it’s reflected in the enthusiasm all-around for the BRICS.
The attendant fallout of pager attacks is that Global South are now wary of importing telecommunications equipment not just from the West but also from Taiwan and Hong Kong. Every node in the supply chain of pagers was compromised. The world would increasingly look at China, and elsewhere, for importing stuff which is critical to their national security.
The trust in most global institutions are now lost. The United Nations, ICJ, ICC, UNRWA etc stand exposed as nothing but hand-maidens of the West; the forums where different set of rules exist for Washington and its caucus and quite opposite for the rest of the world. Since the world can’t exist in a vaccum, a new or no world order beckons.
The fate of Tel Aviv and Washington is now entwined. Who tails whom is irrelevant: It would dawn, sooner or later, on the citizenry of the United States that their country is engaging in wars with which they ought to have nothing to do. That all the financial and military aid, and the lives of its soldiers, is being wagered by the elites, for the elites, at the cost of the well-being of its own citizens. The Jews, not just in Israel but all over the world, would feel unsafe. Most living in Israel already feel under the siege – depopulation has been set in motion.
That the United States is now bogged down in the Middle East would only help Russia and China, the two behemoths whom it views as its enemy number one. The attention is Washington is bound to flag elsewhere: Be it in Ukraine or in Taiwan. It’s an overstretched empire and if it’s a Trump in a few days’ time in the US presidential elections, at least a full Ukraine and Zelensky could kiss goodbye to their existence.
