Israel intoxicated by war and the dream of expansion. This can’t last

Netanyahu appears to be gaining ground on both the domestic and international fronts, but the war against Iran is plunging the region into disaster

“Always, every moment, there will be the thrill of victory, the feeling of crushing a defenseless enemy. If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face – forever.”

This quote is from the book 1984, by George Orwell, and, after the joint US and Israeli attack on Iran – which killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, shocked the Muslim world and destabilized the entire region – it is difficult not to see the connection with recent events.

The unprovoked attack, which occurred despite apparent progress in negotiations in Oman, now threatens the lives of millions of people across the region.

This follows US President Donald Trump’s repeated promise to end conflict, representing yet another Orwellian inversion: “War is peace, peace is war.”

The escalation also comes in the context of recent statements by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee endorsing Israel’s right to expand its borders from the Nile to the Euphrates, as Israel continues its campaign to seize more Palestinian land; and the Munich speech of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who expressed a desire to restore Western greatness through a return to colonialism, to the delight of European political elites.

The United States and Israel are eliminating political and religious leaders in blatant disregard for the feelings of the people of the Global South – and the long-term consequences for reshaping world politics.

We do not need to imagine how the new world order will unfold. Instead, we must examine Israel and Israeli society in light of current realities, including the romanticization of war and widespread support for the mobilization of the war machine.

Broad political consensus

As Israeli forces bomb Iran and kill innocent civilians, many Israelis—sitting in cafes between runs for shelter during Iran’s retaliatory strikes—describe this as a just war, one that aims to liberate the Iranian people, especially women, from the rule of the ayatollahs. These comments come even after reports that more than 150 students have been killed in southern Iran.

These sentiments reflect common views among Israelis regarding Palestinian society, amid widespread support for the unprecedented use of force and disregard for international law in Israel’s relentless pursuit of territorial expansion.

Even more worrying is the apparent willingness of Israeli society to sacrifice their own lives in favor of Israel’s expansion and the projection of its military power throughout the region.

The people of the Global South have long fought against colonialism – and will continue to do so, refusing to live under the yoke of the West.

This is reflected in the broad consensus in favor of war, which spans the entire political spectrum, despite the understanding that the greatest beneficiary of this conflict is Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself. This demonstrates that the opposition is aligned with Netanyahu’s foreign policy, despite differences over his internal conduct.

In fact, opposition leader Yair Lapid has openly endorsed the idea that Israel should expand its borders to control other territories in the region.

This support has grown over the past two decades as demographic shifts and the growing strength of religious movements – from the ultra-Orthodox to religious nationalists – have intensified internal debates over religion and the state, resource distribution and military recruitment.

Political elites across the spectrum understand that Israeli society is united around war. It is a society that built its ethos around war and distancing from the region, viewing territorial expansion as something natural, while, in a covert way, using Western liberal terminology about helping minorities and women.

While world leaders try to balance their interests — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for example, distanced his country from the initial attack, but later confirmed that British fighter jets were acting in defense of Western allies — the message received by Israeli society is clear: the West supports these operations, despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza, the occupation of parts of Syria and Lebanon and the bombings in Yemen.

This support remains firm, even with Benjamin Netanyahu, the person leading this entire process, being wanted on charges of genocide in Gaza.

Brutal model for the world

So far, Netanyahu appears to be the main beneficiary of this sequence of events. Although it is difficult to predict the outcome of the current war, Netanyahu has once again proven his ability to influence US foreign policy.

He demonstrated to Israeli society that, despite American public opposition to the war and the pressure exerted on Trump by his MAGA support base – which is largely opposed to the US paying the price for Israel’s wars – he managed, once again, to fulfill what once seemed like an Israeli fantasy: dragging the US into another conflict in the Middle East, just as he did during the Iraq war. In short, Netanyahu is making the Americans do his dirty work.

Unlike 2003, when the Bush administration entered Iraq with a strong economy and broad international support, Trump is acting in a context of great economic tension and limited international support.

So regardless of the outcome – whether the Iranian state and leadership fall or survive – in the eyes of the Israeli public, Netanyahu has already succeeded. He is getting closer and closer to making the Greater Israel project a reality, with explicit US support.

Now, as Israel prepares for elections later this year – and amid Trump’s pressure on President Isaac Herzog to grant a pardon to Netanyahu even though he has not yet been convicted – the Israeli prime minister appears to be gaining ground both nationally and internationally.

This is the model that Israel offers the world: a mobilized society, ready for war, territorial expansion and contempt for diplomacy and international agreements; an expression of Rubio’s vision of a renewed colonial era.

Despite the euphoria of military power, both Israeli society and the West at large are on the way to relearn why the colonial era ended.

It did not end because of liberal values ​​or Western goodwill. It ended because the practices that the West applied in the Global South boomeranged against its own people in the First and Second World Wars.

The story doesn’t end there. The people of the Global South have long fought against colonialism – and will continue to do so, refusing to live under the yoke of the West.

Originally published by Middle East Eye on 03/02/2026

Por Abed Abou Shhadeh

Abed Abou Shhadeh is a political activist based in Jaffa.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.