In all of its 76 years as a state, it is hard to think of another time when Israel was as isolated as it is today.
There have been periods in the past when Israel did not have countries to rely on for weapons shipments or when Israelis were targets of airplane hijackings and terrorist attacks around the world. Today, it is worse.
The United States is reconsidering shipments of certain arms, countries in Western Europe are unilaterally recognizing a Palestinian state, the International Criminal Court is considering arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and the International Court of Justice has called on the country to stop its operation in Rafah. The bombing on Sunday night of a Hamas target in Rafah which led to a blaze in a nearby complex housing displaced Palestinians and reportedly killed dozens of civilians has only made matters worse.
All of this has two dramatic consequences for Israel: The first is that Israel's isolation increases the country's dependence on the U.S., as its only friend. It will need that friendship, for example, to veto any resolution put before the United Nations Security Council to enforce the ICJ order. Simply dismissing U.S. requests regarding the war could increase tension and lead the U.S. to........