Why Israel Is Acting This Way DNyuz

But what makes this war different for me from any war before is Israel s internal politics. In the past nine months, a group of Israeli far-right and ultra-Orthodox politicians led by Netanyahu tried to kidnap Israeli democracy in plain sight. The religious-nationalist-settler right, led by the prime minister, tried to take over Israel s judiciary and other key institutions by eliminating the power of Israel s Supreme Court to exercise judicial review. That attempt opened multiple fractures across Israeli society. Israel was recklessly being taken by its leadership to the brink of a civil war for an ideological flight of fancy. These fractures were seen by Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah and may have stirred their boldness.

If you want to get just a little feel for those fractures and the volcanic anger at Netanyahu for the way he divided the country before this war watch the video that went viral in Israel two days ago when Idit Silman, a minister in Netanyahu s ruling Likud party, was tossed out of the Assaf Harofeh Hospital in Tzrifin when she went to visit some wounded.

You ve ruined this country. Get out of here, an Israeli doctor yelled at her. How are you not ashamed to wage another war? another person told her. Now it s our turn, the doctor can be heard screaming in a video published on X, formerly known as Twitter, and reported by The Forward. We are in charge. We will govern here right, left, a nation united without you. You ve ruined everything!

Israel has suffered a staggering blow and is now forced into a morally impossible war to outcrazy Hamas and deter Iran and Hezbollah at the same time. I weep for the terrible deaths that now await so many good Israelis and Palestinians. And I also worry deeply about the Israeli war plan. It is one thing to deter Hezbollah and deter Hamas. It is quite another to replace Hamas and leave behind something more stable and decent. But what to do?

Finally, though, just as I stand today with Israel s new unity government in its fight against Hamas to save Israel s body, I will stand after this war with Israel s democracy defenders against those who tried to abduct Israel s soul.

via dnyuz.com

Thomas Friedman.