An Israeli historian and human rights activist named Adam Raz gives an absorbing description of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his book, The Road to October 7: Benjamin Netanyahu, the Production of the Endless Conflict and Israel’s Moral Degradation. The book reveals an awful story that has mostly been ignored in the public debate; a fact that is even more severe than Netanyahu’s own faults; the crucial role Netanyahu played in support for Hamas, essentially the most dangerous organisation in Israel to be at war with. For many years, Netanyahu’s policies that have been both unwittingly and deliberately encouraging the rise of Hamas and have ensured the fractured, unresolved status quo that still devastates the area. Raz’s digging into this obscured side of Israeli politics unveils the driving forces that lie beneath the conflict and the Israeli government’s part in making it get worse.
Netanyahu’s Role in Bolstering Hamas: A Strategic Gamble
According to Raz, the proper perspectives of Netanyahu’s participation in the violence that has been going on for years is much deeper than the Israelis or the outside world know. Netanyahu’s government for many years not only approved but even supported the movement of funds from Qatar to Gaza, which was directly helping Hamas. This controversial policy, often justified as a humanitarian gesture has become apparent only recently, especially in the wake of the events of October 7, 2023. Nonetheless, Raz is throwing out a point that this is but a miniscule bit of the bigger and far more underhanded scheme that Netanyahu has done: it is a plan that targets not peace or security but the preservation of Israel’s dominance in the region by ensuring the continuation of an unresolvable conflict.
The Qatari monetary inflow to Gaza during the Netanyahu years was not, according to some, a means to try to relieve the Palestinians’ plight. Rather, it was a maneuver of organising to keep the Palestinian national movement broken up. By making sure that Hamas was properly financed and had a greater presence in Gaza, Netanyahu managed to widen the gulf between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) which has been responsible for governing the West Bank under Fatah. It was just what Netanyahu had dreamed of when the division made the Palestinian population unable to mount any unified response to the occupation of Gaza.
With the Palestinian movement fractured, Israel could continue its policies in the West Bank and Gaza, while maintaining its military and political superiority.
As paradoxical as it is, why does Israel support an organization that it believes to be a terrorist group? the justification of this policy can be clearly seen when the situation is analyzed through Netanyahu’s broader political strategy. Netanyahu, for a long time, has been decidedly against any kind of two-state solution, and he has been working, in the literal sense, to stop any settlement from being reached that might bring about a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Through encouraging divides within Palestinian politics, he took care of the fact that the idea of a peace deal was always fleeting, as dealing with a fragmented opposition is far easier than dealing with a unified one. In this scenario, the emergence of Hamas could be described as another outcome of Netanyahu’s scheme to keep Israel in control of the Palestinian territories.
The Paradox of “Security” and the Double-Edged Sword
Netanyahu’s pro-Hamas approach was always justified by the security rationale practically entrenched in his policy in the region. Netanyahu government stated that Hamas staying in control of Gaza was a reason, in a sense, for the collapse of the non-violent Palestinian factions and, thus, brought about a relatively lesser likelihood for the Palestinians being united in their resistance move. Apart from that, the headlines were prone to be dominated by such explanations as the civil servant salaries that were the focus of the Qatari funds being the main things meant specifically for the needs of the local population, whose steady radicalisation would be stopped thereby.
However, this strategy of using Hamas as a “controlled enemy” has failed spectacularly. The events of October 7, when Hamas launched a devastating attack on Israel, proved that the policy of maintaining Hamas as a counterpart was a ticking time bomb. By pouring money into Gaza, Netanyahu may have momentarily stabilised the situation, but it also sowed the seeds for an explosion of violence and unrest that could not be contained indefinitely.
Despite this, Raz argues that Netanyahu’s playbook remains unchanged. Even amid the tragic event of October 7 which resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Israeli citzens, Netanyahu seems to be focused on the same purpose: the perpetuation of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, with no actual chances of peace. His governing strategies are still based on the fact that a divided Palestinian political arena is the best guarantee of Israel’s security but the same method is most likely the one to make sure the continuous circle of violence, suffering, and instability in the area as well.
A Destructive Cycle: The Moral Degradation of Israel
The most shocking thing in Raz’s criticism of Netanyahu’s policies is his statement that these policies have caused the moral degradation of Israeli society. The rule of war over and over, the violence, and the absence of a genuine peace process have gradually become the new reality and the Israelites have lost the moral ground on which they stood and showed off to the whole world. Raz believes that The Israeli public has also been a part of the “morality” loss and too many times been blind to the full lengths of the government’s actions in the continuation of the conflict.
This situation is, however, strongly characterised by the exceedingly sad separation between the wishes of the Israeli people and the government policies that are in effect. According to polls, the large majority of Israelis, mainly the youth, are very dissatisfied with the endless war and occupation condition. However, the political oligarch led by Netanyahu has been rationalizing maintaining the current reality by claiming that it is the only way to secure the country’s peace and security.
This moral decay is not limited to Israel’s actions in Gaza. Additionally, it involves the bigger picture of its occupation of the territories conquered by Palestinians, its settlement policies in the West Bank, and its treatment of Palestinians as second-class. As time passes, the occupation has entered into the lives of millions of Palestinians and the international community has mindlessly accepted the systematic violations of human rights that are still being perpetrated in these territories.
The Price of Perpetual Conflict
The price of Netanyahu’s policy of helping Hamas by causing division and keeping a firm hold on Palestinian territory is not measured only by the loss of lives and the destruction of families but also by the deeper moral and political repercussions that are experienced both in Israel and, the wider region. The inability to be a proponent of a just solution to the conflict, to take part in real peace talks, and to recognise the rights of Palestinians has given rise to a culture of violence that, in the end, helps no one.
Raz’s analysis leaves no room for doubt that the Israeli policies of Netanyahu are to preserve dominance and not protect Israel as a country. Through this, he has made a scenario where the struggle turns into something self-evolving, impossible to break the circle, and with no real wards tourniquet towards peace. However, it is a game that only the human cost has been raised plus they Israelis have lost the moral high ground in the world community.
The situation in Israel and Palestine is still difficult and tense, but it is important that Israeli people, the world, and allies give more recognition to the fact how Benjamin Netanyahu’s initiative made a big impact on the conflict. ICC’s most recent action which involves the issuance of an arrest warrant for Netanyahu is a game changer. A step like this definitely shows that the world and its international bodies are more and more united in their understanding of justice, and it is quite a significant progress towards a better future of international relations. Nevertheless, Netanyahu’s behaviour is not unrelated to these events. AIPAC is a classic example of a powerful organisation influencing U.S. foreign policy and has to be questioned for its role in these very policies causing the violence and repression cycle to go on.
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