Israel Loses the World

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The empty seats left by diplomats during Benjamin Netanyahu's speech at the United Nations General Assembly were not just vacant spaces in the hall; they were an intense image of the void expanding around Israel, and of the distance created by its policies between it and the conscience of the world. The state that has long presented itself as the 'only democracy in the Middle East' now faces a question harsher than any media campaign: what remains of this narrative in the face of images of hungry children, destroyed homes, and families that have lost everything in Gaza?

A public relations machine cannot erase a tragedy that people see, nor can rhetoric of self-defense grant permanent moral immunity to violations. What Israel is losing goes beyond transient sympathy to the erosion of a political capital it has built up over decades, and it weakens its allies' ability to justify its protection in front of their societies.

Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway have imposed sanctions on ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich for inciting violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, a step that reveals that objections are reaching figures within the authority and going beyond the usual statements of concern. In contrast, Netanyahu remains wanted under an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court related to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity, accompanying him with legal pursuit wherever he goes, placing the countries hosting him in front of embarrassing political and legal questions.

Even sports arenas, which governments have traditionally treated as spaces distant from diplomatic calculations, have become a mirror of this loss. The Irish protests against facing Israel, the Irish Football Association's call to suspend its participation, and the stance of the national team's coach reflect the transfer of rejection to popular spaces that are difficult to contain with an official statement. When Israel's very presence becomes a subject of protest, the damage affects its image and its ability to integrate naturally into the world.

Netanyahu's visit to New York without a scheduled meeting with the American president adds a striking scene to this picture, although it alone is not enough to prove an American shift or a specific electoral calculation. The relationship with Washington remains strong, but the strength of the alliance does not negate the increasing cost of defending policies that drain the credibility of their advocates.

Here, the question should reach the Israeli citizen, especially those who refuse to be beholden to extremist parties: What future is being created by a government that wins a military round but loses more trust and acceptance? And what security can be stable above constant fear, the deprivation of another people's rights, and the expansion of anger in the region?

The call for the Israeli society to review is not placing the responsibility of the government's decisions on every individual, but rather demanding that they do not allow extremists to monopolize the definition of their interests and the future of their children. Isolation begins with a bad image, but it can turn into restrictions on cooperation, a decline in partnerships, an expansion of boycotts, and a burden that accompanies future generations.

The most dangerous aspect is that Netanyahu's speech, which was dominated by a defense of power and attacks on critics, did not present a convincing political horizon for peace with the Palestinians. Peace requires recognition of rights, a will to end the occupation, and guarantees to protect civilians, and it does not arise from repeated declarations of victory.

Continuing violations while ignoring protests and sanctions sends a dangerous message that power can overcome all accountability; this is a recipe for perpetuating conflict and deepening the fragility of the Middle East. International protection may delay the payment of the bill, but it does not eliminate its accumulation. Therefore, Israel's real battle with its image begins with changing its behavior and understanding that the life of a Palestinian is not a detail in the calculations of Israeli security.

The Israeli citizen must ask their government, before demanding the world to improve its view of them: Where are you taking us? And how much more will we lose before we acknowledge that peace is a condition for safe existence?