So it’s finally happening. The wider Middle East conflict that so many feared is igniting. Almost exactly a year after Hamas’s 7 October terrorist atrocities, Israel is fighting on multiple fronts. Iran is now the principal adversary. Israeli leaders, including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, maintain that it always was. Netanyahu has long sought this showdown.

Self-deluding boasts that Israel is “winning”, bruited about after the assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, drown out calls to halt the madness. Despite their otiose talk of changing the regional balance of power, Netanyahu, his far-right allies and generals lack a credible, long-term political strategy. Their whack-a-mole tactics condemn Israel and neighbours to war without end.

The same may be said of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the religious extremists who dominate Iran’s regime – and the surviving leaders of Iran’s proxies Hamas and Hezbollah. Nor should western reactionaries such as Donald Trump escape blame. All contribute to a destructive continuum of confrontation, violence and misery that is intensifying once again.

On every side, the self-fulfilling prophecies and divisive agendas of regressive, intolerant forces are acted out in blood. Hard-right fanatics typically expect the worst, reject conciliation and compromise, stick to their guns. And, sure enough, the worst happens. Moderate voices, such as Iran’s new president, are shouted down. Hapless Joe Biden is humiliated. The UN is slandered and ostracised, its aid workers killed. Peace becomes a dirty word. As ever, ordinary people suffer most. More........

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