Masada 2.0: The Government Jumps into the Abyss, with an Entire Country on Its Shoulders

Global isolation, mounting hatred, collapsing support — and leaders focused only on themselves.

Israel is at a nadir like never before—not because of enemies outside, but because of those leading it.

Look around: watch international news, read social media posts and tweets, listen to global voices. That noise you hear? It’s our nation, choosing to self-destruct. The world watches in shock, witnessing a monstrosity.

We may be stuck in our small warm bubble—either oblivious to, or in denial about what’s happening abroad—but people in New York, Amsterdam, Sydney, London, Barcelona, Paris wake up every morning to scenes of horror in Gaza under one clear narrative: Israel is deliberately starving Gaza.

And they have no reason to believe otherwise: Prime Minister Bezalel Smotrich and his puppet in the cabinet, Benjamin Netanyahu, themselves called it “a turning point” in the war. What turning point? Their reckless decision—against every warning—to commandeer food distribution in Gaza to pressure Hamas.

The result is plain to see and feel: a growing global backlash. In Greece, an Israeli was attacked and lost an ear, and another group on a cruise ship couldn’t disembark and had to depart for the next port; in Spain, children speaking Hebrew were removed from a plane; in Los Angeles, Israelis were forcibly ejected from a café; in Belgium, Israeli citizens were arrested unjustly; in Melbourne, thousands chanted “Death to Israel” and attacked a synagogue; in Cyprus (!)—a neighbor economically linked to Israel—voices now call to expel Israelis. Across the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy—Israelis are experiencing global hatred: online, in parliaments, and on the streets.

This animosity isn’t limited to public expressions: Israeli academics are barred from conferences; Israeli artists are shown the door; partnerships are being canceled. World-class artists and athletes are turning sharply against us. The day is coming soon when even global sports institutions will reject us. Israel is becoming leprous—diplomatically, culturally, morally. And we haven’t even reached The Hague yet.

True, antisemitism has long existed. But this time we’re doing everything to make ourselves repulsive to the entire world. Honestly, if it weren’t for U.S. President Donald Trump protecting us, by now we’d face treatment akin to North Korea—or potentially worse .

This is not coincidence, but direct—and unmistakable—outcome of policy, or rather, policy by omission. The “July disaster” was the result of a catastrophic failure by a negligent government. But what’s happened since is far more than a failure. It’s a disgrace born directly from this government’s behavior .

Each week soldiers die, dozens are wounded, tens of thousands develop PTSD in a war that is fully political. Netanyahu is bidding first, and maybe last, with his own survival. Instead of a strategy, the government engages in bizarre bargaining; instead of rescuing hostages, they bury them; instead of honoring the fallen, they humiliate their families; instead of passing a real draft law, they pass a law that encourages draft evasion; instead of repair, they destroy what’s left.

Look at Gaza. Is this the same army that destroyed Hezbollah and severely struck Iran, albeit late but effectively? The answer is clearly no. The Israel Defense Forces now depend entirely on the Air Force because, for years, all other branches have been neglected. The ground forces haven’t been able, for two years, to defeat what Netanyahu called “terrorists in flip-flops”—and this is likely Netanyahu’s fault .

He, the supreme leader dreaming of eternal rule; the seemingly strong and perfect rhetorician with impeccable English who wrote a book on how to defeat terrorism—turns out to be a political albatross, shackled to Smotrich, who has no public support and supports terrorism like Ben‑Gvir.

While trust is collapsing and the economy unravelling, Netanyahu gambles everything—what we thought was our bet is merely his. For now, publicly at least, Trump still tries to defend us—but strength isn’t eternal. Look what happened with Elon Musk when alliances shifted .

I have stood beside Israel’s greatest leaders—and I decree this is the worst period since the country’s founding. But this one is not due to external forces; it’s due to a government that chose to jump from Masada—and take the entire nation with it.

What remains for us? To cry out, pray, and remember that the flame still burns—dimmed, flickering, but alive. We must not be like Masada’s suicides who died with their psychopathic leader, that fine rhetorician Eleazar ben Yair. No. We will rebel, rise from the ashes, and shake off this historically psychopathic cabal inflicted upon us.

Secondly—and this time truly—Masada will not fall. Those who wish to leap into the abyss—are welcome to do so without us.