Editors note, August 8, 11:30 am ET: Israels Security Cabinet has now approved a plan to take control of Gaza City.
Israels restrictions on humanitarian aid in Gaza are, first and foremost, a moral atrocity. Israeli policies since March, most notably the initial shutdown on aid entering the Strip, were very obviously going to cause a hunger crisis down the line. There can be no defense for intentionally starving children.
But strikingly, the policy has also become a strategic failure for Israel one that bodes one that bodes ominously for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus newly floated proposal to occupy the entire Gaza Strip.
Its aid limitations, intended to starve out Hamas, have actually strengthened the groups position and handed it new leverage in ceasefire negotiations. International outrage over the past week has prompted important Israeli partners France, the UK, and Canada to announce support for recognizing a Palestinian state. Perhaps most importantly, the suffering in Gaza has done severe damage to Israels alliance with the United States, alienating masses of Democrats and even some MAGA Republicans.
This is not only my opinion. It is a point of emerging consensus of well-informed analysts across the political spectrum, who see the recent international uproar over starvation in Gaza as a catastrophe for Jerusalem.
Israel may have massive military superiority in Gaza but as of this week, it has lost the war, Michael
