The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu has been in office on and off for 16 years. Well known to the press, he has also been a prevaricator of long standing. So the Gaza war drones on as Netanyahu uses it to bolster his support before the next election. So if one asks how long the war will go on, the only feasible answer is, until Bibi feels comfortable with his electoral support. As an aside, in common north Indian parlance, the word "bibi" is used to address an old woman.
To
keep the war going, Bibi has even tried to expand its area of operation
by bombing a southern suburb of Beirut and killing Hamas' deputy
political chief Saleh al-Aarouri. He was one of the founders of Hamas'
military wing and headed it in the West Bank.
The
attack on Lebanese soil and a Hezbollah controlled area has angered
Hezbollah who have vowed revenge. Hezbollah is Shia and closely allied
with Shia Iran. Its leader (Secretary General) Hassan Nasrallah has
condemned the 'dangerous,' as he called it, killing of Hamas' deputy
leader and if war breaks out, he promises a fight without limits. Has
Israel opened a Pandora's box and has Netanyahu, in his electoral greed,
bitten off more than he can chew? We will eventually find out.
Hamas is Sunni and looks toward Egypt and North Africa. Thus if a greater war with Israel does erupt, it could engulf almost all the Middle East. And according to the Houthis in Yemen, Gaza is the reason for their attacks on shipping on the Red Sea. Clearly the war is no longer localized to Israel's borders. But then no one likes to see women and children attacked ceaselessly, denied humanitarian aid or adequate provisions and medicine.
A
hundred-days war, the question now is whether it can be stopped. The
U.S. administration is trying but without much success. The words for
peace mean little when it also keeps supplying arms to Israel in what
seems like a case of schizophrenia. Coupled with senile dementia and to
think Joe Biden is planning on running again!
To return to Bibi's attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon, the latter's allies are responding. The Houthis who are also Shia and like Hezbollah are clients of Iran have decided to hurt Israel's economy by attacking ships in the Red Sea, specifically in the narrow Bab-el-Mandeb Strait near them. Several commercial ships have been hit and owners are now willing to add nine days to the journey by going around the Cape rather than risk losing a ship. Longer travel distance means more expense adding to the cost of goods and hurting the Israeli economy.
Of
course, tourism is at a virtual standstill, But the pool of workers
has also shrunk as young men are called up to serve in the army.
Israel's central bank estimates the cost to be $600 million each week.
Economist Joseph Zeira believes the chances of a recession are high and
that it will be a deep recession. A professor at the Hebrew University
of Jerusalem, Zeira believes the cause is the protracted war, the
resulting uncertainty, the reduced investment, demand and even tourism
It
goes without saying that were elections to be held today, Netanyahu
would be out. People would have supported a short punishing engagement
but not the 'hide-and-seek' farce being played out in the myriad tunnels
dug out by Hamas as preparation for an Israeli onslaught whenever it
might happen. 'Know your enemy' is a common saying and it holds true
once more. If Netanyahu has a worried look in the latest photos, he has nobody to blame but himself.
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