The first question at the VP Debate was whether both candidates would support Israel’s hypothetical strike on Iran, which would satiate the bloodlust of right-wing war hawks and plunge the region into chaos and war.
However, this is where we are in 2024 America where both party leaders offer unconditional support to Israel’s war machine led by war criminal Prime Minister Netanyahu and his cabinet of Jewish supremacists which include Itmar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
Nearly a year into Israel’s war in Gaza, over 42,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed, the hostages haven’t been returned, and Hamas is not destroyed. While Israel continues the killing, it has sent ground troops to invade Lebanon. Meanwhile, hawks like former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett are openly courting regime change in Iran.
Israel says it is committed to a policy of “de-escalation through escalation” which sounds like an utterly mad line of dialogue spoken by Dr. Strangelove. I invited Hussein Ibisih, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, a long-time commentator of Middle East politics, and columnist who often writes for The Atlantic, to connect the dots for us and explain how this strategy will not only be a failure for Israel but also be disastrous for the region and impact domestic politics and coalitions at home.
Grab a chai and give us a listen!
This is How Israel's "De-Escalation Through Escalation" Policy Will Fail and Backfire