Can Netanyahu Now Become a Statesman?

New York Times

6 hours ago

The Israeli strategist Yehoshafat Harkabi once observed that in military doctrine, the enemy is a target to destroy, but in statesmanship, the enemy is a political entity to engage. Israel's tragedy today is that its leaders see only targets. Statesmanship — the work of building a future beyond the battlefield — has all but disappeared.
This is the moment to move on from intense military operations to political statecraft. As this latest round of hostilities with Iran draws to a close after the formidable U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Israel is still mired in a grinding war of attrition in Gaza. This should be a stark reminder to its leaders that only diplomacy can end wars, and that advancing toward a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a prerequisite to a better future.
Israel and the United States have good reason to confront Tehran, which armed and funded proxies from Lebanon to Yemen while evidence mounted that Iran was marching steadily toward a military nuclear capability. But military strikes alone cannot end this threat. Despite the remarkable Israeli and U.S. military achievements, the odds are long that the two countries can either fully dismantle those nuclear capabilities or remake Iran's regime. Without diplomacy, there is no path from confrontation to resolution — only continuing conflict or even escalation.
Similarly, it is high time to seek a comprehensive agreement over Gaza. After the 2020 Abraham Accords, Israel bet that it could reshape the Middle East while bypassing the Palestinian issue. That illusion was shattered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas launched the single deadliest assault on Israel ever. Some 50 hostages remain in Hamas's hands.
Israel's initial military response was justified. But more than 20 months on, it remains without a political strategy. Who will govern a demilitarized Gaza in need of reconstruction when the war ends? What political horizon exists for Palestinians and Israelis? What framework for security and peace should be put in place to secure better regional harmony? Israel's refusal to answer these questions has deepened a humanitarian catastrophe, and pushed the country toward diplomatic isolation.
In both conflicts, Israel has failed to define what a military victory looks like. Is the goal to eliminate, destroy, cripple Hamas? Exile its leaders? Erase the threat of Hezbollah? Populate the Gaza Strip with Jewish settlements, as suggested by the radical factions of the Israeli government? Eliminate or just delay Iran's nuclear program? Eradicate Iran's ballistic and cruise missiles capabilities? Absent clear policy goals, even successful military operations lead nowhere.
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