There is no denying that Israel has lost international legitimacy to continue its war on Hamas in Gaza. Without the support of nations around the world, Israel could become isolated and could not exist in a vacuum.
This has an impact on Israel's ability to defend itself, on its standing in international forums such as the United Nations, on its economy and on its reputation.
After the October 7 massacre, Israel enjoyed a couple of weeks of grace, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to leverage that small window and ensure the world's support for conducting a just war.
The diplomatic failure was most evident last month when U.S. President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar. Netanyahu could have been a partner in the discussions there, but instead, Israel was sidelined. The prime minister turned military successes into diplomatic failure.
He is no diplomat, and neither are the ministers he appointed to diplomatic positions. Diplomacy is the ability to listen, to engage with others and to be creative. Netanyahu and his ministers are unable to establish dialogue with nations. Even Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who served as a diplomat, has not demonstrated any capacity in the field and does only what he is told.
If Netanyahu had presented a plan for the day after the war and enlisted world leaders' support, we would be in a different place today. Israel would not only have been able to claim victory in the war, but would have seen nations work alongside it to rebuild Gaza.
But Netanyahu was interested only in his political survival and in the continued survival of his coalition. Those considerations came before all others, including the lives of the hostages taken captive during the massacre that occurred on his watch. Now all Israelis are paying the price.
Israel today can rely only on Hungary under the populist regime of Viktor Orbán and on Argentina under Javier Milei. This isolation means Israel's fate is in the hands of others, primarily U.S. President Donald Trump, who will dictate our future. Trump now sees Netanyahu as a bother to push out of the way. He excluded Israel from discussions with Saudi Arabia, Iran and the Houthis in Yemen. He is even talking to the new Syrian regime, without Israel's input and would be the one to decide the future of Gaza.
Some blame a lack of public diplomacy since the start of the war, advocating for Israel. There are few people able to communicate Israel's message in relevant languages and counter anti-Israel campaigns. Every now and again, an Israeli ambassador attempts to explain what the objectives of the war are and how Israel is going about achieving them, but is slapped down. At this time, silence is preferable because there are no explanations.
International law, as it is articulated in the Geneva Convention, does not protect those who participated in the massacre of Israelis. It does not protect civilians who ignore the IDF's warnings to leave for safety before attacks. But the world sees the images coming out of Gaza, and cares little for interpretations of the convention.
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Israel is not committing genocide in Gaza and the IDF is operating within the confines of international law but that is irrelevant when the message being delivered and heard abroad from Netanyahu's coalition partners is that all Gazans are complicit in terror and should be starved and that Israel should hold on to the Strip and build Jewish settlements there.
IDF Chief of Staff failed when he succumbed to pressure and replaced the military's spokesperson with a pale unknown, leaving television studios without anyone who could speak in favor of the troops.
What Israel must now do is devise a plan for post-war Gaza, in full cooperation with the Trump administration. One that would rehabilitate the Strip. The fantasy devised by the American president and echoed by Netanyahu and his allies, that Gazans will leave and find better lives elsewhere, has faded away. Trump never believed it himself. He only wanted to relay a clear message to the Arab nations that Washington will not be writing a check and that they would have to deliver the funds.
By turning his back on Israel, Trump signaled to the world and to Israel's enemies that there is more than just daylight between Netanyahu and the president, allowing our once reliable allies to feel free to turn their backs on us as well.
Israel holds on to the hope that there will be a U.S. veto on the next UN resolution calling for Israel to end the war. Netanyahu understands that a veto would come if he does as he is told. Trump appears just about at the end of his rope. He may say in no uncertain terms. Enough. Stop.
Israel is now bracing for the outcome of the U.S.-Iran nuclear talks that could allow Tehran to hold on to its nuclear program and for the upcoming international conference, where a Palestinian State would be recognized by France and others.
An unfavorable result on these major issues would be final proof of Netanyahu's total failure as a statesman and leader who, despite knowing better, opted to ensure his own political future at the cost of Israel's future security.