Latest news with #WestJerusalem
Russia Today
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
The end of Israeli exceptionalism
Israel has now been at war with its neighbours for nearly two years. The latest round began with the Hamas-led terrorist attack on 7 October 2023. In response, West Jerusalem launched an aggressive military campaign that has since expanded to touch nearly every country in the region. The escalation has placed the Jewish state at the centre of Middle Eastern geopolitics once again – this time, dragging in Iran, a state that had long avoided direct confrontation through strategic caution. Now, even Tehran finds itself under fire, with US backing making the stakes far higher. Iran is left facing a grim choice between the bad and the very bad. But this isn't about Iran. It's about Israel, a country that has for decades functioned as the West's forward operating base in the Middle East. Since the mid-20th century, Israel has enjoyed a privileged position – a bridgehead of Western power in a volatile region, while also deeply enmeshed in its politics and rivalries. Its success has rested on two pillars: the unshakable support of the United States, and its own internal capacity for innovation, military strength, and a unique social model. That second pillar, however, has weakened. The clearest sign is in demographics: Israel is facing rising negative migration. In 2024, some 82,700 people are expected to leave the country – a 50% increase from the year before. It is not the unskilled or disengaged who are leaving, but the young and educated. The people who are needed to sustain a modern state are choosing to go. Of course, Israel's troubles are not unique. Like many developed nations, it is struggling under the weight of a decaying neoliberal economic system. The pandemic made things worse, exposing the fragility of the model and encouraging a shift toward a 'mobilisation' mode of governance – rule through emergency and constant readiness for conflict. In the West more broadly, war and geopolitical confrontation have become a way to delay or disguise necessary systemic reform. In this regard, Israel has become a laboratory for the West's emerging logic: permanent war as a method of governance. In the autumn of 2023, the Israeli establishment embraced this fully. Conflict became not just a tactic, but a way of life. Its leaders no longer see peace as the goal, but war as the mechanism for national unity and political survival. In this, Israel mirrors the broader Western embrace of conflict with Russia and China – proxy wars chosen when actual reform is off the table. At the global level, nuclear deterrence limits how far such wars can go. But in the Middle East, where Israel wages war directly, those constraints don't apply. This allows war to serve as a pressure valve – politically useful, even as it becomes self-destructive. But even war has limits. It cannot indefinitely mask economic decay or social unrest. And while conflict tends to cement elite power – even among incompetent leadership – it also drains national strength. Israel is now consuming more and more of its own resources to sustain this permanent state of war. Its social cohesion is fraying. Its once-vaunted model of technological and civic progress is no longer functioning as it did. Some in West Jerusalem may dream of 'reformatting' the Middle East – reshaping the region through force and fear. If successful, it could buy Israel a few decades of security and breathing room. But such outcomes are far from guaranteed. Crushing a neighbour doesn't eliminate the threat; it merely brings distant enemies closer. Most importantly, Israel's deepest problems aren't external – they are internal, rooted in its political and social structures. War can define a state, yes. But such states – Sparta, North Korea – tend to be 'peculiar,' to put it mildly. And even for them, war cannot substitute for real diplomacy, policy, or growth. So has Israel, always at war, truly developed? Or has it simply been sustained – politically, militarily, and financially – as a subdivision of American foreign policy? If it continues down this path of permanent conflict and right-wing nationalism, it risks losing even that status. It may cease to be the West's bridge in the Middle East – and become something else entirely: a militarised garrison state, isolated, brittle, and increasingly article was first published by the magazine Profile and was translated and edited by the RT team.
Russia Today
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Israel can't bomb its way out of decline
Israel has now been at war with its neighbours for nearly two years. The latest round began with the Hamas-led terrorist attack on 7 October 2023. In response, West Jerusalem launched an aggressive military campaign that has since expanded to touch nearly every country in the region. The escalation has placed the Jewish state at the centre of Middle Eastern geopolitics once again – this time, dragging in Iran, a state that had long avoided direct confrontation through strategic caution. Now, even Tehran finds itself under fire, with US backing making the stakes far higher. Iran is left facing a grim choice between the bad and the very bad. But this isn't about Iran. It's about Israel, a country that has for decades functioned as the West's forward operating base in the Middle East. Since the mid-20th century, Israel has enjoyed a privileged position – a bridgehead of Western power in a volatile region, while also deeply enmeshed in its politics and rivalries. Its success has rested on two pillars: the unshakable support of the United States, and its own internal capacity for innovation, military strength, and a unique social model. That second pillar, however, has weakened. The clearest sign is in demographics: Israel is facing rising negative migration. In 2024, some 82,700 people are expected to leave the country – a 50% increase from the year before. It is not the unskilled or disengaged who are leaving, but the young and educated. The people who are needed to sustain a modern state are choosing to go. Of course, Israel's troubles are not unique. Like many developed nations, it is struggling under the weight of a decaying neoliberal economic system. The pandemic made things worse, exposing the fragility of the model and encouraging a shift toward a 'mobilisation' mode of governance – rule through emergency and constant readiness for conflict. In the West more broadly, war and geopolitical confrontation have become a way to delay or disguise necessary systemic reform. In this regard, Israel has become a laboratory for the West's emerging logic: permanent war as a method of governance. In the autumn of 2023, the Israeli establishment embraced this fully. Conflict became not just a tactic, but a way of life. Its leaders no longer see peace as the goal, but war as the mechanism for national unity and political survival. In this, Israel mirrors the broader Western embrace of conflict with Russia and China – proxy wars chosen when actual reform is off the table. At the global level, nuclear deterrence limits how far such wars can go. But in the Middle East, where Israel wages war directly, those constraints don't apply. This allows war to serve as a pressure valve – politically useful, even as it becomes self-destructive. But even war has limits. It cannot indefinitely mask economic decay or social unrest. And while conflict tends to cement elite power – even among incompetent leadership – it also drains national strength. Israel is now consuming more and more of its own resources to sustain this permanent state of war. Its social cohesion is fraying. Its once-vaunted model of technological and civic progress is no longer functioning as it did. Some in West Jerusalem may dream of 'reformatting' the Middle East – reshaping the region through force and fear. If successful, it could buy Israel a few decades of security and breathing room. But such outcomes are far from guaranteed. Crushing a neighbour doesn't eliminate the threat; it merely brings distant enemies closer. Most importantly, Israel's deepest problems aren't external – they are internal, rooted in its political and social structures. War can define a state, yes. But such states – Sparta, North Korea – tend to be 'peculiar,' to put it mildly. And even for them, war cannot substitute for real diplomacy, policy, or growth. So has Israel, always at war, truly developed? Or has it simply been sustained – politically, militarily, and financially – as a subdivision of American foreign policy? If it continues down this path of permanent conflict and right-wing nationalism, it risks losing even that status. It may cease to be the West's bridge in the Middle East – and become something else entirely: a militarised garrison state, isolated, brittle, and increasingly article was first published by the magazine Profile and was translated and edited by the RT team.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Israel has no right to force ‘regime change' in Iran
Israel has no justification for trying to bring about 'regime change' in Iran through its bombing campaign, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told RT's Rick Sanchez on Wednesday. West Jerusalem's backers conveniently forget about all the legal and moral principles they claim to defend the moment they're called upon to support the Jewish State, she stated. Israel launched a series of missile attacks against Iran on Friday, claiming that Tehran was on the brink of acquiring nuclear weapons – a goal Tehran has repeatedly denied pursuing. The Islamic Republic responded with a missile barrage of its own, and the two nations have been exchanging strikes ever since. 'What has Iran done wrong? What is it being bombed for?' Zakharova asked Sanchez in response to a question about the ongoing hostilities. 'Israel says they don't like the regime in Iran, the political regime,' Zakharova said, stressing that this doesn't gives West Jerusalem the right to attack another nation. 'Whether you like a regime or you don't, if it doesn't attack you… you have no right to change that regime,' she argued. Iran's nuclear program, which Israel portrays as a source of major concern, is a matter for international law and diplomacy to deal with, the spokeswoman pointed out, adding that any issues linked to it should be resolved by the international community. 'It's not a matter of somebody trying to solve this issue on their own,' she added. West Jerusalem has also failed to prove that there was any immediate threat coming from Tehran, Zakharova maintained. 'We've heard multiple statements from Israel that they have proof that Iran is one step away from creating weapons of mass destruction. Why can't they just show the documents?' she said, expressing doubts about whether any such evidence exists. Yet, the lack of justification for Israel's actions apparently does not concern Western nations, the spokeswoman said. Israel is bombing Iran, and the Western world keeps saying that Israel has the right to do so. The West seems to have forgotten in an instant about human rights, about children… in the midst of hell. On Monday, Iran's authorities said that, since the start of hostilities, Israeli attacks have killed at least 224 people, including 74 women and children, while injuring 1,800. Meanwhile, Israel claims that Iranian strikes have killed at least 24 people, all civilians, while injuring nearly 600.
Russia Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
US aerial tankers headed to Middle East
The US has reportedly deployed more than 30 aerial refueling tankers across the Atlantic toward the Middle East, Military Watch Magazine reported on Monday. The outlet has described the buildup as 'unprecedented,' claiming it could suggest broader US involvement in the ongoing Israeli-Iranian war. West Jerusalem and Tehran have entered the fourth day of open hostilities. Last Thursday, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear and military targets, killing senior military officials and scientists and prompting retaliatory missile barrages on Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv and Haifa. The US has expressed support for the Israeli strikes, with President Donald Trump calling them 'excellent.' He has also warned that Washington could become directly involved in the conflict if American interests are threatened but has yet to announce any plans to involve US forces. However, according to flight tracking data, the US has already started deploying KC-135 and KC-46 aerial refueling tankers to the Middle East. Military Watch Magazine has suggested that the aircraft may be intended to support Israeli Air Force operations or refuel US fighters and bombers if Washington expands its role in the conflict. The report also claims that tankers from other Western countries have participated in Israeli aerial refueling efforts, while the US is believed to have provided intelligence, satellite targeting data, and missile defense support. On Sunday, Axios reported that Israeli officials had asked the US to directly take part in the military operation, specifically requesting assistance in striking Iran's Fordow enrichment facility. However, US officials cited by the outlet said the request was declined, with one stating that the Trump administration is not considering any such involvement. Nevertheless, Tehran has claimed that Washington's support for West Jerusalem has made the US complicit in Israel's aggression against Iran. Sources within the Iranian military have also reportedly indicated that Tehran's response to Israeli strikes would 'spread to all areas occupied by this [Israeli] regime and related US bases in the region in the coming days.' In response, Trump has warned that any Iranian attack on US forces would trigger a military response, writing on his Truth Social platform that 'if we are attacked in any way, shape, or form by Iran, the full strength and might of the US Armed Forces will come down on you at levels never seen before.' He also insisted that the US 'had nothing to do with the attack on Iran' and called on Tehran to return to negotiations.
Russia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Russia Today
Israel asked US to join Iran attack
West Jerusalem has asked the White House to take part in its military campaign against Iran in order to eliminate Tehran's nuclear program, according to two Israeli officials cited by above-ground facilities in Iran, including sites in Natanz and Esfahan, were destroyed in recent Israeli strikes, according to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael described the operation as a preemptive move to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon – Iran has consistently denied that it has any intention to do said the Iranian government had also informed him that the Fordow enrichment plant near the city of Qom, a heavily fortified site built deep inside a mountain, was targeted, but there are no indications that the site sustained significant to Axios, Israel lacks the bunker-busting bombs and long-range bomber aircraft required to destroy Fordow. The US, however, possesses both and operates forces within range of Iran. Israeli officials reportedly believe that if Fordow remains operational after the operation ends, West Jerusalem's mission to eliminate Iran's nuclear program will have Israeli official told Axios the US might participate in the campaign and said President Donald Trump had indicated during a recent call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he would consider it 'if necessary.' The White House has denied this claim.A second American official confirmed that Israel had requested US involvement but said the Trump administration is not considering it. Washington has reportedly distanced itself from the operation, while warning that even a limited strike could draw the US into the war. White House officials have argued that it would be illegitimate for Iran to retaliate against American forces. A senior US official told the outlet that while the Israeli attacks could not be prevented, a peaceful resolution remains possible. 'We have the ability to negotiate a successful, peaceful resolution to this conflict if Iran is willing,' the source said. 'The fastest way for Iran to accomplish peace is to give up its nuclear weapons program.'Nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington began in April, with Trump warning of military consequences if diplomacy Saturday, Tehran cancelled a sixth round of negotiations scheduled in Oman. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said talks would not resume until Israeli strikes come to an on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart held a 50-minute phone call to discuss the situation in the Middle East. The two leaders reportedly agreed on the possibility of restarting negotiations over Iran's nuclear program.
