Foreign Policy: Do Netanyahu’s Policies Serve Iran’s Goals?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s insistence on war serves Iran’s strategy of keeping Israel under constant threat to force Israelis to emigrate without direct Iranian involvement. If Israel wants to escape this trap, it must end the war on Gaza, ease pressure on the Palestinian Authority, and focus on diplomatic efforts with the normalizing Arab states.

Analyst Dennis Ross said in a report for Foreign Policy that Israel’s withdrawal now is a loss and a defeat, but its survival is also a loss, as it will allow Iran to continue to drain it with the multiplicity of battlefronts with the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and armed factions in the West Bank.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has stated that “reverse migration” will be the end of Israel, as he hopes that the continued use of military force will make Israelis feel threatened, and push them to emigrate and leave the region without dragging Iran into a direct war.

The only way forward for Israel is for Netanyahu and the “hardliners” in his government to declare that the war will end with the release of prisoners, which will put pressure on the new Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and break the pace of Iranian attacks.

The “real victory” in this war, according to Ross, lies in Israel withdrawing its forces from Gaza to open the way for a “secular leadership that coexists with Israel” made up of its Arab allies to help manage the Strip. The writer says that Netanyahu should focus on strengthening Israel’s diplomatic efforts with the normalizing Arab states to ensure its future stability.

Alternative Strategy

If the ceasefire efforts succeed and Netanyahu and his government agree to the deal, the fighting fronts will cool down. The analyst points out that Hezbollah on the northern front will stop its attacks if the ceasefire in Gaza stops, which could lead to calming the situation.

As for the West Bank, the writer warns that Israeli military operations serve Iran’s interests by destabilizing the Palestinian Authority, which will open the way for Iranian influence.

It is important for Israel to stop withholding taxes from the Palestinian Authority, which currently pays only 50 percent of the salaries of PA employees, including security personnel, to address the increasing violence from settlers, and to allow Palestinians to work inside Israel to reduce unemployment and “prevent Iran’s influence from spreading.”

Ross stresses that if Israel wants to counter Iran’s strategy of weakening Israel through regional isolation and border conflicts, it should pursue normalization agreements with Arab states.

Source: Foreign Policy+Al Jazeera