ISRAEL'S FIRST PRIME MINISTER, David BenGurion, famously said: "Our future does not depend on what the gentiles will say, but on what the Jews will do." His argument was that the Jewish people could no longer be dependent on others as they had been for 2,000 years.
Instead they were independent, self-reliant and creators of their own destiny.
Today, faced by mounting diplomatic isolation over its war in Gaza - to the extent that Israel is now seen by some nations as a pariah state - BenGurion's maxim has gained renewed traction for many Israelis. These include the far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who quoted it when rebutting an international court of justice (ICJ) ruling ordering Israel to cease its military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
A UK Foreign Office official said that for all Israel's talk of public diplomacy, or hasbara, the reality is that the instinct within its military has always been to rely upon itself, and not to wrestle for world opinion. "The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] does not care what people think about them. This is a security state. It does not want to be loved. It wants to be feared and respected. The IDF thinks the Israeli foreign office does the yoga, hot tubs and cleanups, but the IDF has always played hardball, relied on escalation dominance and never seen war as a popularity contest." Never has that been more clear than in recent days with Israel's demolition of Hezbollah's leadership, carried out without the political support of the US and now portrayed by a resurgent Benjamin Netanyahu as part of a newly declared objective "to change the balance of power in the region for years".
International relations, like all politics, are a struggle for power, and Israel's prime minister believes he is winning that struggle.
This story is from the October 11, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 11, 2024 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
If kids get protected from online harm, how about the rest of us?
The Australian government has proposed a ban on social media for all citizens under 16.
'It's not drought - it's looting'
Spain is increasingly either parched or flooded - and one group is profiting from these extremes: the thirsty multinational companies forcing angry citizens to pay for water in bottles.
Life in the grey Zone
Neonatal care has advanced so far that babies born as early as 21 weeks have survived. But is this type of care always the right thing to do?
Out of tune? Band Aid under fire for Africa tropes as it turns 40
Forty years ago this month, a group of pop stars gathered at a west London studio to record a single that would raise millions, inspire further starry projects, and ultimately change charity fundraising in the UK.
Deaths shine spotlight on risks of drinking on party trail
Vang Vieng is an unlikely party hub. Surrounded by striking limestone mountains and caves in central Laos, it morphed from a small farming town to a hedonistic tourist destination in the early 2000s.
Different strokes My strange and emotional week with an AI pet
Moflin can develop a personality and build a rapport with its owner - and doesn't need food or exercise. But is it comforting or alienating?
Strike zone Waking up to the rising threat of lightning
When the Barbados National Archives, home to one of the world's most significant collections of documents from the transatlantic slave trade, reported in June that it had been struck by lightning, it received sympathy and offers of support locally and internationally.
Cheap pints and sticky carpets: the old-school pub is back
In the Palm Tree pub, east London, barman Alf is taking only cash at the rattling 1960s till.
Brain gain Can a radical tax scheme convince the country's brightest to stay?
In the autumn of 2018, I moved to Lisbon for a month-long course at the Universidade .de Lisboa.
Fear and sympathy in small town divided over asylum camp
A year after anti-immigration riots, a site for asylum seekers faces hostility while some locals try to help new arrivals
