Israel’s Self-Inflicted Wounds in Gaza, Where are the Guardrails?

Israel’s current strategy in Gaza is not merely a misstep; it is a self-inflicted wound that risks hemorrhaging its moral authority and strategic position. Cutting off aid to Gaza, ostensibly to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages, is a tactic so myopic it borders on self-sabotage. Starvation as a weapon? That’s not a strategy; it’s a slow-motion PR disaster, the kind that even Donald Trump, with his boundless appetite for controversy, would find indigestible.

The irony here is as thick as it is bitter. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has treated the Biden administration with all the grace of a bull in a diplomatic china shop, now finds himself leaning on policies that administration insisted upon to defend Israel’s actions in international courts. At the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Israel’s legal arguments often rest on the very guardrails Biden’s team erected. With those guardrails removed, Israel is careening toward the abyss of war crimes, a destination that will delight its detractors and dismay its allies.

The ICC’s looming shadow is not just a legal threat; it’s a geopolitical nightmare. Arrest warrants for figures like Netanyahu, Smotrich, and Ben Gvir is one thing. But what of an actual arrest of your average patriotic army grunt traveling anywhere except Israel and America (for at least the next four years)? That would be a gift to every Israel-basher from Tehran to The Hague. And for what? A pyrrhic domestic victory that leaves Israel isolated and its enemies emboldened.

Netanyahu’s domestic antics only add fuel to this self-immolating fire. His attacks on Shin Bet head Ronen Bar and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, branding them as part of a “left-wing deep state,” are not just reckless; they are corrosive. These are not mere bureaucrats; they are the pillars of Israel’s democratic edifice. Undermining them is akin to setting fire to your own house because you dislike the wallpaper.

Hamas, of course, is reveling in this chaos. A terrorist organization thrives on suffering, and images of emaciated Gazans will serve their propaganda machine far better than any rocket ever could. Israel’s leaders must understand that their actions are not just a test of military might but a test of moral fiber. I hope I’m wrong and the hostages are released, but the world is watching, and history is taking notes.

Israel’s current trajectory is unsustainable. The strategy of cutting aid and intensifying military operations may yield short-term gains, but the long-term costs—diplomatic isolation, legal jeopardy, and moral erosion—are too steep. It’s time for Israel to stop digging its own grave and start climbing out of this self-made pit.