After nearly a year of the Middle Eastern war, new fronts have opened in Lebanon and Yemen, following Gaza and the West Bank. Looking at what has happened over the past year, I can now ask out loud: What is the purpose of this war?
From the very first day, I noted that Israel, using October 7 as an excuse, was attempting to achieve its goal of erasing Palestinians from their lands through Hamas.
Netanyahu, like his predecessor Golda Meir, holds the belief that “the best Palestinian is a dead Palestinian.”
They don’t necessarily have to die; anything that significantly reduces the Palestinian population would make Netanyahu happy.
As ballistic missiles fall on Israel, Netanyahu’s smile deepens.
Why?
Every war has a primary objective and secondary objectives. Sometimes the primary goal isn’t achieved, but the secondary goals still make the war worthwhile for those who pursue them.
I believe that Israel, unable to expel Palestinians from Gaza, is now working on its secondary objectives.
Israel’s shift from Gaza to targeting Hezbollah and dragging Lebanon and Iran into the war, while also showing force against the Houthis in Yemen, is for this reason.
Despite what some may find surprising after reading yesterday’s Hürriyet headline, I will say this without hesitation: Netanyahu would want more missiles to rain down on his country from Iran.
Hürriyet reported that each missile fired costs Iran $100,000, while Israel has to spend $1 million to destroy each missile before it hits its target.
This is likely true.
However, a fact that has been overlooked since the beginning of this war is again being forgotten: While every missile sent over Israel weakens Iran’s economy, Israel is making others pay the bill for this war…
Western countries, especially the U.S., are paying for every missile fired at Palestinians – and now at the Lebanese and Yemenis as well.
The U.S. sends the planes, Germany provides the tanks, and France and Italy contribute to Israel’s war machine with their military industry products.
This information comes from a recent article in the Jerusalem Post: Since the war began, the profits of major Israeli military industry companies like Elbit Systems, Rafael, and Israel Aerospace have increased. “Rafael’s sales rose by 32%,” the newspaper reports, adding, “The war has also opened opportunities for around 150 new military companies.”
The inability of Iran’s missile attacks to cause significant damage is bringing new foreign clients to Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ defense system.
The cost of every new war machine added to Israel’s military inventory is covered either by the U.S., the U.K., or, in many cases, Germany.
A report from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) reveals the extent of these contributions:
“Nearly all U.S. aid today goes to support Israel’s military, the most advanced in the region. The United States has provisionally agreed via a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to provide Israel with $3.8 billion per year through 2028. Since the start of Israel’s war with Hamas on October 7, 2023, the United States has enacted legislation providing at least $12.5 billion in military aid to Israel, which includes $3.8 billion from a bill in March 2024 (in line with the current MOU) and $8.7 billion from a supplemental appropriations act in April 2024.”
While a portion of the dollars coming from the U.S. is directed toward Israeli companies, a significant amount goes to the U.S.’s own military industry.
Here’s another piece of information from a news agency: “According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, from October 7 to July 2024, 173 military and civilian cargo flights carrying weapons and ammunition departed from U.S. military bases around the world to Israel.”
[An interim observation: One of Netanyahu’s secondary objectives is to ensure Trump’s election in the U.S. Biden’s support for Israel is reducing Kamala Harris’s chances of winning.]
What about Germany?
The words of Chancellor Olaf Scholz in his speech to Parliament reflect Germany’s commitment to Israel’s needs: “I asked Netanyahu to stay in close contact and inform us of any support needs. We will immediately review and fulfill other support requests coming from Israel.”
Netanyahu behaves like a shrewd businessman. Despite the blood on his hands, he knows that when he makes a call, people like Biden and Scholz will say, “As you wish.”
Lebanese, Yemeni, and Palestinian people are dying, and Netanyahu doesn’t care; neither do Biden or Scholz, apparently.
Netanyahu also knows what to do when pressured by his allies for a ceasefire: He expands the front…
Netanyahu has another secondary objective worth discussing in its own right: gaining new citizens —and voters— through the immigration of Jews to Israel who, due to the rise of anti-Semitism during the war, are feeling increasingly unsafe in their countries.
Palestinians know who is responsible for the bombs raining death down on them by looking at the label. We too should be aware of the facts.
ΩΩΩΩ
[The translation of the article is by ChatGPT with some minor modifications.]