An Israeli writer confirmed in an article in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that the Israeli public was militarily surprised on October 7, and discovered the next day that its government was ineffective, and then the third major failure related to Israeli public relations appeared before it.

Efrat Reiten said it was clear that the country would have difficulty surviving "under a far-right government."

She continued that what began as a protest camp for pro-Palestinian students at Columbia University - where the New York Police arrested dozens of them - later extended to universities throughout the United States and other countries.

She added that the United States demonstrated its strong support for Israel this week when the Senate approved an aid package by a large majority, but the images coming from the country's universities and the signs of changing trends - albeit in the long term - in the American administration, the media and society as a whole put this support at risk.

Losing universities

The author explained that Israel lost the universities, indicating that these transformations occurred within the framework of a socio-political conflict that continued for many years in American society, a conflict largely rooted in the progressive concepts and culture that swept the youth.

She said that the new narrative links Zionism with oppression and imperialism to the point of denying Israel's right to exist.

She added that the series of Israeli failures has produced a difficult situation for Israel, represented by the call for its destruction, and that a decline in support for Israel can be observed in opinion polls conducted since October 7 among Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 years.

Half of them expressed their support for the Palestinians, and most of them object to President Joe Biden's policy towards Israel, and the writer said that these are the same young people who are now waving banners "from the river to the sea" in the country's universities and calling for the Intifada.

The writer said that these young people can be seen in the future in the Senate, the courts, the economic leadership, and even the White House.

Strategic risk

Reiten stated that undermining American support and the possibility of slowing the flow of aid would pose a danger to Israel, as the past few months have shown “the extent of our dependence on American diplomatic, economic, and military support.”

She stressed the need for the government and the security apparatus to act immediately to correct the situation, and to direct resources to employ the best experts to improve Israel’s foreign relations, especially with the United States.

She said that Netanyahu should immediately work with US lawmakers to promote appropriate legislation, establish relationships with donors, launch a plan in cooperation with the US administration, fight creatively on social media, and strengthen American Jewish organizations and communities and friends of Israel.

According to Reiten, the world wants an Israel that is militarily strong, but also democratically strong, and does not work with right-wing extremists such as Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

She added that if the leadership in Israel does not change, the Biden administration may be the last Democratic administration to support Israel.

Source: Haaretz +Aljazeera