On losing patience – Dahlia Scheindlin in Haaretz:

‘In the dirty language of diplomacy through violence, Hamas' decision to release the Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexanderon Monday carried several stinging messages to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Hamas conveyed that it will grant Israel's greatest wish, unconditional hostage release, but to satisfy U.S. President Donald Trump, and never for Netanyahu.
The group signaled that Israel's policy – 19 months of war, three months of yet another humanitarian siege on Gaza including starving babies, and Israeli threats of military expansion and annexation – proved useless. Though Netanyahu insisted that these contributed to Hamas' concessions, few are fooled; no hostage was released through these methods absent dealmaking and concessions.’

(…)

‘Israel had a functional relationship with Russia, a bromance with India, and a windfall of European support from the Visegrád Group of central and eastern European states, especially populist leaders in Hungary and Poland. Israel relegated peace talks with the Palestinians and the two-state solution to the sidelines and still reaped diplomatic rewards.
Even critics had to admit it – from Netanyahu's perspective, foreign policy was his greatest success. It also helped at home; although he faced stiff electoral challenges over five cycles, ultimately a chunk of Israelis thought "there's no one else," largely for his image as a savvy and worldly leader on the global stage.’

(…)

‘On Gaza, Washington insiders now speak almost in unison about how both Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump himself are losing patience with Netanyahu's recalcitrance on core issues: reaching a deal with Hamas and ending what Trump on Sunday called a "brutal war."
The Biden administration tended to signal displeasure with symbolic gestures like sanctioning a handful of violent settlers or delaying a single weapons shipment, but without inflicting any real pressure on Netanyahu to change course. Trump is less sentimental and exponentially more transactional (though he has a particular commitment to freeing hostages, and not only Americans, noted Schenker). Trump's potential Saudi deal stands to reap a trillion dollars – but it could have major geopolitical consequences for Israel in the Middle East.
Arab Middle Eastern countries developed a common perception over the years that "the road to Washington runs through Jerusalem" – i.e., doing good deeds toward Israel was a way to win favors from and access to the highest reaches of the U.S. government. Nathan Brown, a political scientist at the George Washington University and among the most cogent experts on the Middle East today, said in a message that "What Israel offered above all was essentially an entrée into American society." Given how Trump's Middle East trip is shaping up – Israel is not even on the itinerary – smaller Gulf states "don't need to work through Israel to get to the Trump administration, that's very clear."’

(…)

‘The truth is more nuanced, of course. Europe and especially Germany are too constrained by history to register significant moves that could be perceived as anti-Israel. Trump is ever unpredictable; maybe after the list of snubs, he'll offer Israel an unexpected gift. Maybe the Abraham Accords will expand with less sensitive partners, like Indonesia.
But the real question is what the possible sunset of Netanyahu's global prowess means for his fortunes at home. When Jimmy Carter failed to solve a massive international crisis, he was routed from office. When Israel's Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir faced a crisis with the (Republican) White House in the early 1990s, the perception of a rift contributed to his electoral loss in 1992.’

Read the article here.

The road to Washington doesn’t run through Jerusalem anymore.

And yes, the history and Europe, but history is dying. That history.

In October 2023 I wrote: Hamas won the war already.

I should have written: Israel lost the war already.

I’m afraid that the end of the road won’t be justice, just more disasters.

Don’t rule out the nuclear option. It’s the promised land after all.

In ten or fifteen years, old sensitivities might be replaced with new ones.