Netanyahu’s Endgame: Is Israel Drifting Toward Permanent War?

The Illusion of Control

Since October 7, Israel has launched one of the most aggressive military operations in its modern history, primarily targeting Hamas in Gaza but extending into the West Bank, Lebanon, and even Syria. Yet despite months of airstrikes and ground operations, the war has no clear endpoint. Israel’s leadership, particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appears to be navigating by reaction—not vision.

Netanyahu’s approval ratings have tanked domestically, and yet he has consolidated power. His right-wing coalition partners are pushing for broader occupation and even re-settlement of Gaza. Rather than offering a roadmap to peace or even stability, the Israeli government has presented a binary: war or surrender.

War as Political Cover

For Netanyahu, conflict has become both shield and sword. Shielding him from legal jeopardy—his corruption trial is still ongoing—and political collapse, while also serving as a sword to silence critics and suppress dissent. When war dominates headlines, calls for his resignation are framed as unpatriotic or even dangerous.

The question isn't just whether the war is winnable. It's whether ending it is even desirable to those in power. If Netanyahu’s political survival hinges on the continuation of crisis, peace becomes a threat—not a goal.

The Gaza Quagmire and International Isolation

Israel's Gaza campaign, once justified under the banner of national security, is increasingly viewed by the international community as disproportionate and unsustainable. Images of civilian suffering have led to public protests across Western capitals and opened a generational divide in support for Israel, particularly in the U.S.

Even traditional allies like the U.S. are starting to show cracks in their support. President Biden’s recent warnings and limited arms pauses mark a shift—small but symbolic. If Israel continues to wage an indefinite war, it risks losing the diplomatic capital it once banked on.

Permanent War: A Strategy or a Trap?

This raises the core question: is Israel stuck in a loop of endless war, or is it a deliberate strategic posture?

Netanyahu's administration offers no vision for post-war Gaza, no credible peace process with Palestinians, and no regional diplomacy beyond saber-rattling with Iran. That vacuum of long-term policy suggests that war has become not a means to an end—but the end itself.

This is a dangerous place for any nation to be, especially one as regionally isolated and globally scrutinized as Israel.

A Choice Still Exists

Israel is not condemned to this path. Voices from within—military leaders, civil society, even former Mossad chiefs—have warned that military might alone will not secure the country’s future. The real question is whether Netanyahu is listening, or if he’s too far down the road of political survival to turn back.

The longer Israel marches into a future defined by war, the harder it becomes to find the off-ramp. And the more likely it is that future generations—Israeli and Palestinian alike—will pay the price for a leadership unwilling to make peace part of the plan.

Photo: Nir Elias/AFP via Getty

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