OPINION – The Dangers of Israel Going It Alone

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu introduced a chilling new word, then quickly walked it back. But his retraction did not erase the image he left behind: Israel going it alone against a hostile world.

The word is “autarkic,” meaning an economically self-sufficient nation. Though that is both impossible and destructive in the 21^st century, Netanyahu presented it as Israel’s model for dealing with the mounting boycotts and sanctions stemming from the protracted war in Gaza.

It has long been a Netanyahu mantra that Israel must stand against a hostile world, alone if necessary. Through his own government’s missteps, he has brought Israel to the brink of true isolation.

The upcoming avalanche of recognition of a Palestinian state at the United Nations is mostly meaningless, but it does symbolize how far Israel has fallen. Israel received waves of sympathy after the brutal Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, when terrorists invaded southern Israel, murdered more than 1,000 Israelis, and dragged 251 hostages to Gaza. Now Israel is on its way to becoming a pariah state like South Africa, boycotted and sanctioned into submission decades ago for actual apartheid, not the propaganda “apartheid” conjured up by Israel-bashers.

Accusations of Israeli genocide and starvation in Gaza—though demonstrably false—have chipped away at Israel’s global support, even among allies, and now there is little left. The Hamas anti-Israel campaign, funded by Iran and Qatar, has captured the imagination and support of uninformed and susceptible masses.

Israel’s response under Netanyahu has been to double down on the very elements that have provoked anti-Israel measures like boycotts and arms embargoes: more bombing, more ground invasions, more militaristic pronouncements.

Against the urging of Israel’s closest and most important ally, the US, and defying the advice of his own security chiefs, Netanyahu ordered an airstrike on Qatar aimed at eliminating the leadership of Hamas. It failed, but even if it had succeeded, it would not have ended the war in Gaza.

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He likewise ordered a bombing campaign and a ground incursion to “pacify” Gaza City, with the goal of finishing off Hamas once and for all—despite assessments from all sides that the push will destroy more buildings, kill some terrorists, kill many Israeli soldiers, and endanger hostages still alive among the 48 held by Hamas. That’s to say—Hamas will survive.

News reports from the US indicate that President Donald Trump, up to now Netanyahu’s best buddy, was furious over the decision to invade Gaza City, using language so colorful that we can’t quote it here.

So Netanyahu has endangered backing from the US government, the last and most important bastion of Israeli support.

As a result, now he can realistically raise the prospect of an “autarkic economy.” But rather than conveying the realistic image of a beleaguered nation beset by boycotts and bans, he frames it as a badge of honor—a sign of strength and resilience.

To put it bluntly, it’s “Israel against the world,” his favorite image for whipping up frenzied support among his voters.

It’s worth understanding where autarky would leave Israel economically. Israel imports 50% of its food, including 80% of its grain. Among the products that would disappear from Israeli shelves if sanctions and boycotts bite are vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa, and (gasp) coffee—not to mention fuel.

Military embargoes are already being felt in the field, even as Israel escalates its operation in Gaza yet again. For example, there are reports that some of the huge bulldozers Israel uses to clear paths through the rubble in Gaza, known as D9s, have been idled for lack of spare parts.

In fact, the only motor vehicles made in Israel today are some armored cars, trucks, and tanks used by the military. The days of the Israeli-made Sussita—the boxy little fiberglass-bodied car that once plied the roads here—are distant memories from the 1960s and 1970s. Today’s Israeli highways are clogged with cars from Europe, Japan, South Korea, the US, and China.

So picture a “strong, resilient Israel” with no new cars, no gasoline, half the food, nearly no grain, and no coffee. Unthinkable.

Or is it? There is one nation in today’s world that lives under autarky: North Korea, with its famines and shortages, sanctions, travel bans, and dictatorial repression. That is hardly an image to inspire young generations of Israelis and their supporters.

So now what?

Just as it took Hamas a decade, with Israeli government acquiescence, to dig tunnels with an aggregate length greater than the London Underground, it will take Israel years to undo the damage from the war in Gaza. Here are some initial steps:

• Admit that the Gaza war was lost on Oct. 7, 2023, when Israel failed to stop the Hamas pogrom.
• Welcome a proper investigation into how it all happened.
• Stop trying to counter that defeat with a “victory” that is unattainable.
• Put good, productive relations with the world at the top of Israel’s list of priorities, not the bottom.
• Commit to a multiyear, multipronged program to win the support of generations of Western youngsters who have no idea what is actually going on in this region.
• Elect an Israeli government that is firmly committed to the above steps.

The alternative is autarky—think North Korea.