Channel 12 published an article by Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Chief of Staff of the IDF, in which he stated: “Israel stands on the edge of an abyss, facing clear and immediate dangers to its national security. The independence of the guardians of the law and the courts is at risk, as are democracy, the separation of powers, systems of authority, the people’s army, internal solidarity, international standing, national identity, its values, and its future. Netanyahu is the one who put Israel on the edge of the abyss, and he is insisting on pushing it toward it in order to save himself from the consequences of his mistakes: from losing power, from the investigations in the Qatargate affair, from the court’s ruling in his cases, and from the judgment of history against him.”

You'd have to be blind, unbalanced, or a coward to fail to see this obvious truth. This may be a painful truth: Over the past two and a quarter years, Netanyahu has lost his compass and destroyed what the country has built with the effort and blood of Israelis over the past 140 years.

Massive efforts are being made to transform Israel into a dictatorship under the guise of wedges, media, and empty statements about governance and reforms "by agreement," majority rights, and the correction of injustice, all while the war continues. The status of the legislative and judicial branches has been undermined. They have worked to undermine the opposition and hollow out the meaning of "law-abiding" and public service leaders.

A corrupt police force and secret services headed by "royal loyalists" guarantee a government free from oversight, adherence to the law, and citizen rights, without opposition or public accountability. The rule of a single individual and a powerful clique, with money that commands respect and political support from sectors, some of which live off the public's pockets, without bearing any burdens, and some of which are racist. These individuals can do whatever they please, leading to a dark, corrupt, and degenerate dictatorial state, infiltrated by fascism, weak, isolated, and internationally plagued by epilepsy.

Netanyahu returned from the United States humiliated and disappointed, and Washington began negotiations with Iran and Erdogan. Trump told Netanyahu, "You guys apparently get $4 billion a year." Trump appears to be recovering from Netanyahu's influence. He will visit the region in about a month and is expected to raise about $1 trillion from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He will likely bring news of his intention to end the war on Gaza, even if this entails putting pressure on Israel. So he is leaving the matter in Netanyahu's hands for now, but it does signal that the war will soon end.

Continuing the war cannot achieve real strategic results. It is doubtful that military pressure will compel Hamas to release the Israeli captives, and the use of excessive force will almost certainly result in the death penalty for an unknown number of captives.

This is Netanyahu's "war for his safety," a war devoid of strategic or political thinking, and focused solely on Netanyahu's own political needs. He continues to wage war to prevent the fall of his government and to advance his positions in the investigations into his trial and in the official commission of inquiry. Netanyahu spoke ravingly at the cabinet meeting about 12 days ago about the collapse of Hamas, the disarmament of its weapons, and the displacement of its leaders through "voluntary transfer" and the implementation of the "Trump plan." But it is clear to anyone with insight that Trump is no longer thinking about the "Riviera" in Gaza and is living in a completely different world. Netanyahu will discover this belatedly, and in a cruel way.

The correct approach for any rational government is to return all detainees, even if the price is a ceasefire, which Israel can resume if necessary. The only way to ensure that Hamas does not control the Gaza Strip and threaten Israel is to replace it with another legitimate institution, an Arab force that would control the Gaza Strip for a long period of time, with the support of the Arab League and the United States, and with Saudi and Emirati funding for the Gaza reconstruction project.