At a time when more and more countries in the international community recognized that the Palestinian State, some Western countries announced a suspension or restriction of exports to Israel, and Arab and Islamic countries protested against Israel with an “unprecedented gesture of solidarity”, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu finally acknowledged on September 15 that the country is in a “isolation” that may last for years and must rely on its own survival in the future.
According to foreign media reports such as the U.S. cable news network (CNN) and the Israeli Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu said at the Treasury Ministry meeting on the 15th that the Israeli economy needs to gradually adapt to the "self-sufficiency" model and reduce the dependence on foreign trade.
“I hate the word,” said the prime minister who self-proclaimed the “free market revolution” for Israel, “and now Israel has to revive.”He said that one of the key areas facing “isolation” is the arms trade, and Israel may have to get rid of its dependence on arms imports, “we need to develop our own arms industry – we want to be a combination of Athens and Super Sparta,” “we have no choice, at least in the coming years, we need to deal with these isolation attempts.”
CNN noted that in this statement, Netanyahu rarely acknowledged Israel’s diplomatic trouble. Previously, regardless of how the UN and other international organizations had warned that attacks on Gaza would result in more casualties and destruction, regardless of how others criticized Israel’s genocide in the Gaza Strip, Israel strongly denied these accusations, and Netanyahu declined to change its policy.
Due to Israeli actions in Gaza, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and other countries have repeatedly announced a partial or total arms embargo on Israel.The United States, the largest arms supplier of Israel, also briefly froze the delivery of bombs to Israel during the time of former President Biden, but Trump soon lifted the ban and prevented other countries from putting pressure on Israel.
In recent months, countries such as France, Spain, Australia and the United Kingdom have announced plans at the UN General Assembly to recognize the State of Palestine.On September 15, the Arab-Islamic Emergency Summit closed in Doha, Qatar’s capital, and issued a communiqué condemning Israel’s recent attack on Qatar and calling on Arab and Islamic nations to unite in responding to common challenges and threats.
Within Israel, opposition has also risen, with hostage families, the public and some military members opposed the expansion of the war, fearing that it could exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip and jeopardize the safety of hostages.
As a recognised tech and economic power in the Middle East, Israel’s economy has been dragged down, not only as the longest conflict in its history, but also as the most expensive one.In August, German Prime Minister Martin Schulz announced the suspension of exports to Israel of any military equipment that could be used in the war in Gaza.At the same time, the Norwegian Sovereign Wealth Fund also announced the withdrawal of funds to several Israeli companies on the basis of “ethical factors.”
Ron Thommer, chairman of the Association of Israel Manufacturers, said that Israel’s image has been severely damaged globally and that the so-called “self-sufficiency” would be a “catastrophe” for the Israeli economy.
Netanyahu blamed “isolation” for his so-called “extremist Islamist agenda” and “opinion manipulation” on social media in countries such as Qatar, which put “we in some sort of isolation.”
Israel’s opposition leader, former prime minister Rapid, has criticized on social media platforms, “Isolation is not fate, but the result of Netanyahu’s wrong and failed policies.”
Former Israeli Defence Army Chief of Staff, Gadi Eshekot, has also voiced fierce criticism of Netanyahu: “There is no second chance to repair the damage that Netanyahu and his colleagues have caused, they have cast hostages and have isolated Israel in the world.”
Opposition Democratic leader Yil Golan criticized Netanyahu’s remarks as saying, “To preserve my throne, I need endless war and eternal isolation,” while the Israeli people “need to sacrifice their country, their economy, their children’s future and their connections with the world.”
“Our response to this vile man is: this year we’re going to change you, to save Israel,” Golan wrote on social media platform X.
Nevertheless, Netanyahu remained optimistic about the Israeli economy and spoke to “pessimists” that the Israeli stock market was “the strongest in the world.”15 On the evening, Netanyahu stressed in a statement that “investing in Israel is a wise move” and that Israel would invest heavily in expanding its military industry to get rid of reliance on “the weak Western leaders who yield to extremist minorities.”
Israeli Treasury Minister Biserre Smotrich also collaborated on the social media platform X, declaring that Israel’s stock markets are rising and inflation is falling, praising the country’s economy for “resisting” to the conflict.
On the 15th, Netanyahu also welcomed visiting U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, who praised with "friendliness", speaking with Netanyahu, criticizing France, Canada, Australia and other countries prepared at the UN General Assembly to recognize the move of the Palestinian State.
Meanwhile, the French World newspaper noted that when Netanyahu positioned Israel as a victim, saying the country was "in siege", the Israeli military "attacked" Gaza City on the evening of 15th. Israeli Defense Minister Katz confirmed on the 16th that "Gaza is burning", and from 15th to 16th, the massive night bombing of Gaza marks the situation entering a new phase.
The Gaza Health Department released data on August 30 that Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip have killed more than 630,000 Palestinians since the outbreak of a new Israeli conflict on October 7, 2023.