When in 1948 the world’s first Jewish state came into being on the land of Palestine, its transformation from a nascent state to the world’s powerful one became a reality. As the only nuclear state in the Middle East with modern army and economic and technological power, Israel became an arrogant and an expansionist state having ambitions beyond its borders.

The myth of Israel’s invincibility however crashed on October 7 when a non-state actor attacked Israel from land, sea and air, killing 1,400 people and taking 240 others hostage. Predictably, Israel retaliated with full force vowing to accomplish a two-pronged objective: one, to liquidate Hamas; and two, to make sure that no attack from Gaza into Israel takes place in the future. After killing 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza, its mission remains accomplished. But the question rises: Will Israel survive despite its colossal military arsenal and unabated US backing? If more than 140 out of 193 members of the UN voted for ceasefire in Gaza, does that mean growing international isolation of Israel? Economic costs of war in Gaza tend to cripple the economy and tourist industry of Israel forcing the regime of Benjamin Netanyahu to cut wages and introduce other punitive austerity measures.

The resilience of Israeli people to cope with difficult circumstances is true but faced with more than two months of armed conflict in Gaza and violence in the occupied West Bank, fault lines in Jewish state are deepening with each passing day, questioning its invincibility as a state power. These fault lines threaten the very survival of Israel because of the artificial nature of state and the lack of ownership of people in times of crisis. Hundreds of Israelis having dual nationality are leaving........

© The Express Tribune