Israel's poisoned chalice as regional bully
Israel may be militarily dominant in the Middle East but it brings the illusion of strength and legitimacy.
To the casual observer, it may seem that Israel is dominating the Middle East. From bombing Iran to Lebanon and destroying Gaza and parts of the West Bank, the Jewish state is drunk on power and impunity. Nobody will stop Netanyahu and his government of messianic fanatics. Virtually every Arab elite remains committed to the Zionist project and close ties with Washington.
And yet don’t be fooled into believing that Israel is any more secure in the region than before 7 October, 2023.
It still remains more unsafe to be a Jew in Israel than virtually anywhere else on Earth. Zionism hasn’t brought safety for Jews but in fact the complete opposite. Endless war, ghettoisation and militarism are the only ways that Israel can survive in the coming decades. Anybody sane can see that Israel’s genocide in Gaza has unleashed white-hot anger across the globe.
Global legitimacy for Israel has never been less obtainable.
What’s the Israeli vision for longevity? Constant bombing of its neighbours and ethnically cleansing Palestinians from Palestine?
Israel has chosen its path and it’s the job of normal people globally, including us in the Jewish community, to reject it entirely and forge a different, more inclusive identity in the Diaspora while demanding justice and equality for the peoples in Israel and Palestine.
I’m an independent journalist without any institutional backing. If you’re able to support me financially, by donating money to continue this work, I’d hugely appreciate it. You can find donating options in the menu bar at the top of my website and via Substack.
My recent work has mostly focused on the grim situation in the Middle East. There’s a small selection of my interviews below with global broadcaster TRT World and Indian channel Wionews and you can see the rest on my website and YouTube channel:
Israel’s war economy is thriving, boosted by nearly two years of war. I spoke about this on Al Jazeera English’s The Take program:
The weaponsisation of anti-Semitism is a major issue. It reduces the ability to fight real anti-Semitism and instead frames legitimate criticism of Israel as Jew hatred.
The Australian state of New South Wales is holding a pubic inquiry into anti-Semitism and I was recently asked to testify:
Here’s my introductory comments and select video clips from the Q&A:
You can watch my entire testimony from 7:38:11:
This is the Israeli “vision” for the Middle East, guaranteeing endless war (despite what the propagandists tell you):
During the recent war between Israel and Iran, I’ve been thinking of my visit to Iran in 2007 while researching my 2008 book on internet repression, The Blogging Revolution. I published a selection of my photos from this remarkable country:
My film series, The Palestine Laboratory, based on my international best-selling book of the same name, continues to circulate. Made with the UK production company, Black Leaf Films and broadcast on Al Jazeera English in early 2025, the two-part series provides unique insights into Israel’s military industrial complex and how it threatens the globe.
Part 1:
Part 2:
One of the most gratifying parts of the success around my Palestine laboratory book is seeing how it’s reaching people in every corner of the world.
Here’s just one recent example; a Dutch man cycling from Amsterdam to India and finding my book a major eye-opening experience:
Building critical Jewish voices is a mission I’ve pushed for over 20 years and it’s never been more important in this time of Israeli genocide.
I’m involved in the Jewish Council of Australia and we recently held a sold-out event in central Sydney that proved the real appetite for community in this time of crisis:
The New South Wales Council for Civil Liberties is one of Australia’s leading civil rights organisations. I’m honoured to be delivering the 2025 keynote address so if you’re in Sydney on 28 August please come along:
This is my monthly column for the UK outlet, Middle East Eye:
In other news this month:
I’m speaking (remotely) at one of Poland’s largest music festivals in October about my work on the Palestine lab;
My interview on Melbourne radio, 3RRR, on Israel’s war against Iran;
Trump’s America is increasingly restricting access to people with critical views. I told The Guardian that it’ll lead to an intellectual impoverishment in the country;
Israel plays a key role in the European Union’s war against migrants in the Mediterranean. I explained how it works to New Lines Magazine;
After the recent Global March to Gaza was held in Egypt and repressed by the state, I was reminded of me when I attended the 2010 Gaza Freedom March in Cairo and made a feature length audio documentary for ABC Radio Australia about it;
As the co-founder and co-editor of Declassified Australia, my colleague Peter Cronau recently wrote a story about an old plan for Israel and the US to attack Iran that was remarkably similar to what recently happened;
My recent conversation with podcaster Josh Szeps about Israel and its actions in the Middle East:
My comments to global broadcaster TRT World about how Israel and the US have “normalised” the concept of starvation in war.
There’s never been a better time to read the edited collection I released last year, co-edited with Palestinian Ahmed Moor, called After Zionism. It’s still available at all good bookstores:
You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter for constantly updated content. My website has information about all my work, books and documentary films stretching back to 2003.
I’m an independent journalist without any institutional backing. If you’re able to support me financially, by donating money to continue this work, I’d hugely appreciate it. You can find donating options in the menu bar at the top of my website and via Substack.
Thanks very much for reading.
Take care.
Antony