On missed opportunities – Liza Rozovsky in Haaretz:

‘German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who just a few months ago pledged to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Germany despite the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against him, said that Israel's strikes in Gaza can no longer be justified as necessary to fight Hamas. He added that he plans to speak with Netanyahu this week.’

(…)

‘Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul – who visited Israel only three weeks ago and maintains almost daily contact with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar – told WDR TV that "Germany has red lines regarding arms supplies to Israel." While he declined to specify where exactly the red line lies, he stressed that international humanitarian law is not merely a formality. "If we see it being violated, we'll intervene and won't supply arms if further violations occur," he said.’

(…)

‘Dr. Avner Golov, a former senior official at Israel's National Security Council and currently Vice President for Research and Alliances at MIND Israel, told Haaretz that Germany is one of the last European countries to have not imposed an arms embargo on Israel.
"If we push Germany, which is the rightmost outlier in Europe on this issue, to the brink, it'd be one of the most serious blows, both in bilateral relations and in the broader security sphere," he said.
The deterioration of relations with Germany could also seriously jeopardize the EU-Israel trade and cooperation agreement, which has come under scrutiny since EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced last week the launch of a review into whether Israel is honoring its commitments to human rights and international law.’

(…)

‘A particularly concerning agreement is the Horizon program, which enables Israeli participation in European science and technology initiatives. Unlike some other key accords, Horizon has a fixed expiration date – 2027. After that, a new agreement on scientific and technological cooperation between the EU and Israelwill need to be negotiated and approved unanimously by all 27 EU member states.
German universities maintain extensive and well-funded collaborations with Israeli institutions, including research grants and programs for hosting Israeli scholars. According to Golov, Israel's political situation and international reputation could put these partnerships at risk.
"When you apply for grants or try to initiate collaborations with institutions and researchers, people begin to back away," he said. "What worries me most is the quiet embargo and the silent boycott, far more than the loud ones."’

(…)

‘Another conclusion Golov draws from the developments in relations with Germany, as well as with the United States, is that the damage cannot be measured only by potential losses, such as restrictions on arms exports or the cancellation of existing agreements, but also by missed opportunities and stagnation in development.’

Read the article here.

Many nation states are missed opportunities, among a few opportunities that were not missed.

But the state of Israel has become a few missed opportunities too many.

One self-inflicted wound after another.

But of course, in times of Trump, sheer power is might.

Morality is power as well, but there’s power and power.

The enthusiasm with which Israel turned itself into a pariah state, 82% of the Israelis back expelling Gazans, is nothing less than messianic.

Only a God can save us, Heidegger said shortly before he died.

Messianism tend to end with blood baths, sometimes just a minor blood bath, a crucifixion.