Israel's Deadly Gamble

For over 30 days we have been witnessing a deadly gamble by the Israeli government and security apparatus. Their bets have not yielded the highly coveted ‘jackpot’ they seek while they continue to increase the deadly bets. The gambling table is Gaza, the chips are deadly bombs, and the tokens and numbers to bet on are human lives taken and homes destroyed. The jackpot is pushing Gazans’ to a point of storming the border with Egypt out of desperation – it is the dream Netanyahu probably had in mind when invoking this onslaught as Israel’s second war of independence and as such, a second Nakba of displacement and death for Palestinians and more land for the state of Israel at Palestinians’ expense.

With recent press reports and leaks, it is no longer a secret that Israel is keen to take advantage of the opportunity to empty Gaza of its people and push them into the Sinai. Egypt and other Arab countries strongly oppose this. The lack of serious and meaningful pressure on Israel to stop the slaughter can only be understood as partial or complete endorsement of this gamble as we have also read in news analysis. Israel’s friends are lending it chips rather than recognizing the dangerous gamble.

To achieve its goal and reach the jackpot, Israel is using the excuse of destroying Hamas’ rule and infrastructure to go after the innocent civilians – killing them en masse, terrorizing the living, razing their homes and neighborhoods, displacing them internally, cutting off water, food, and medicine, targeting hospitals, mosques, churches, schools and medical convoys and all the other failed bets Israel is placing to push Palestinians in Gaza to storm the border with Egypt. This is not about human shields or tunnels. This is about a long term change to the status quo described by Israeli think tanks and official government policy documents as a historic once in a lifetime opportunity to seize – and this latter conviction is a serious motive we can’t ignore because it fuels increasing the bet and the stakes.

So far Israel has miscalculated and despite all the unimaginable and unthinkable destruction and killing, Gazans are somehow staying put in Gaza against all odds. Israel is infuriated by this – feeling the pressure of an unprecedented opportunity and worrying about missing the jackpot and always thinking – like addicted gamblers do: just one more bomb, one more massacre, one more delay of aid, one more hospital out of service, or one hundred more children dead – this will surely bring the sought result. This irrational belief that the tipping point is near and the prize is about to be gained is fueling criminal acts and unprecedented violence while the world continues to watch.

To make things worse, Netanyahu is feeling the pressure of the end of his political career. He probably believes erasing Gaza or part of it will buy him the political credit he needs in an increasingly right wing Israeli society and political establishment to maybe somehow survive the blunder of Oct. 7th and save himself, his career and his legacy. Feeling this pressure, he is going all out with one of the most inhumane campaigns of this century and is continuing to increase the bets and stakes, refusing to back down despite the horrors committed on the ground. This is not uncommon for any gambler who becomes addicted and continues to increase bets and losses without recognizing rationality, logic, and more importantly in this case, the human cost and grave crimes it is perpetuating. Gamblers need to be stopped and can rarely stop on their own. There is no jackpot to win when the very humanity of all of us is tested by the horror we are witnessing while global institutions and governments have little more than empty statements and calls.

Displacing Palestinians into Egypt is not a solution. Palestinians in Gaza have been doomed to a silent death for close to 20 years under the watchful eyes of the international community. This international community must take a stand now and salvage what is left of the fa?ade of international law and international humanitarian law. Standing down while Israel continues to place more bets and take more lives today should not continue to be an option. Gaza decided to cry out and that cry is now heard by the whole world. What remains is the need to stop the addictive and manic gambling mentality that is using innocent lives and the wellbeing of millions and terrorizing them to achieve an immoral and illegal end. Just as Gaza is crying out, we must take a stand for Gaza and for humanity.