Even the Israelis lose their patience. “A reasonable country does not kill for fun”
Great Britain, France and Canada have announced that they recognize Palestine's independence in autumn. Israel's traditional allies will finally break out. And if you ask the former Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert, the current Prime Minister Binjamin Netanyahu and his hot right -wing government coalition They are guilty of themselves.
– The difference between the monstrous crimes, which Hamas committed against the Israelis on October 7, and what we are doing to Palestinians now is getting bigger – he says in an interview with Politico. – We have become a parias state.
Olmert held the office in the years 2006–2009 as the leader of the Liberal Party of Kadima – a fragmentary fraction of the Likud Netanyahu party – and is a rare voice in Israel. As A fierce critic of the Israeli military campaign In the Zone Gaza from the beginning he warned that the offensive was lacking a clear goal.
Currently, Netanyahu is in conflict with some of the country's most loyal allies, causing anxiety even Germany – regrets Olmert. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is located under the growing internal pressure to join other EU countries and punish Israel for actions in the Gaza Strip, which would mean breaking the traditionally unwavering Berlin support. US President Donald Trump recently denied Netanyahu, saying that the Palestinian enclave is experiencing “real hunger” – although clearly blaming Hamas for blocking negotiations on the suspension of weapons.
In a sharp article entitled “It is enough. Israel committing war crimes” former prime minister wrote: “What we do in the Gaza Strip is the extermination war”. He also warned that the proposal of the Israeli government to gather the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip in “Humanitarian City” – which he calls a concentration camp – would be tantamount to ethnic purge, and the high -ranking Israeli military commanders also approach this plan with reserve.
“A reasonable country does not fight civilians”
Another departure from the norm was the recent repetition of allegations of war crimes by the two most famous Israeli human rights organizations – B'essel and Physicians for Human Rights – which claim Israel genocide On the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and the western allies of this country have a legal and moral obligation to stop these actions.
At the beginning of the campaign, Olmert himself defended Israel against “accusations of genocide and war crimes”, but his position evolved with the brutalization of Israeli actions, “mass murders of civilians, including women, children and the elderly, and the intentional starvation of Gaza residents by blocking food supplies and medical assistance.” As he says, the death and injuries of civilians should not be justified as sideways.
It is not surprising that Olmert's disapproval aroused the rage of Netanyahu's allies, who considered his statements as treason and accused him of “hammering the knife in the back of soldiers.” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar accused Olmert of “active participation in a diplomatic campaign, propaganda war and legal war against the State of Israel and Israel's defensive forces.” The Minister of Education Jo'aw Kisz accused him of joining the “radical leftist slander of Israel”.
Another Israeli politician who enjoys such contempt of the right is the Democrats leader Jair Golan, who caused indignation when he told Israeli public television that “a reasonable country is not fighting civilians, does not kill children for fun and does not aim to expose the population.”
Gaza is getting worse
Israeli officials strongly deny all allegations of war crimes and genocide, which were raised in The Hague. They also described the arrest orders of Netanyahu and former defense minister Joawa Gallant, issued by the International Criminal Court as examples of anti -Semitism.
The reflex combination of anti -Semitism with any criticism of Israeli war policy “is a very easy way out for us,” notes Olmert. “We condemn everyone as anti -Semites”, which is wrong and dangerous and threatens to fuel real anti -Semitism. “Furity around the world in connection with the humanitarian issue is spreading quickly,” he says.
– The cause of public explosions is Loss of the legitimacy of the war currently conducted by Netanyahu, as evidenced by the growing number of fatalities among the civilians in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian crisis and shooting at children near the help distribution points – he adds. According to data from the Israeli government, about 30,000 died in the enclave from October 2023. civilians. Data on the Hamas Ministry of Health Gazaus, in turn, say that the number of those killed has recently exceeded 60,000.
Hamas' declaration that it will not lay down their arms, even in the face of the Arab League calls, does not help those who are in favor of the priority treatment of Palestinian civilians. Ordinary inhabitants of Gaza are trapped between the battle group of Islamists, who would gladly sacrifice their lives, and Israeli supremacy, who perceive them as Hamas's helpers.
Palestinians mourn those killed in Israeli attacks, August 1, 2025.
– Of course, accusation of anti -Semitism is a weapon used by the government convinced of its own infallibility. Netanyahu and other members of the coalition use these allegations to defend themselves against justified accusations of the use of excessive force – says Olmert.
Israeli plans
Other campaign critics in the Gaza Strip, such as the leftist Israeli journalist and author Gideon Levy, also suspect that dispersed Allegations of anti -Semitism – which are widely supported in Israeli society – replace guilt for what the country does. – We have grandchildren of the Holocaust survivors who talk about the displacement of 2.3 million people, they talk about it openly. You can't digest it. So it's better to deny it – he adds.
During his term of office, Olmert was responsible for negotiations on the creation of a Palestinian state at over 94 percent. occupied West Brzeg and probably approached this goal more than any other Israeli leader. However, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization Mahmud Abbas withdrew from Olmert's plan, believing that his Israeli interlocutor is not able to realize him.
And indeed, Olmert soon resigned and was convicted of hindering the justice system and taking bribes while acting as the Minister of Trade and the Mayor of Jerusalem.
Today, when almost 0.5 million Israeli settlers live on the west shore, Olmert's plan would be much more risky for every Israeli government who would like to implement it – even if he wanted to. Not that Netanyahu or his coalition partners were interested in supporting a real two -state agreement. Even in February 2023, Netanyahu said that he was ready to grant Palestinians only autonomy, but not sovereignty. Israel would still have to maintain full control over the safety of the West Bank.
Residents of the Gaza Zone at the Aid Distribution point, July 30, 2025.
“Unacceptable and unforgivable”
To emphasize his right, the Israeli prime minister at every opportunity condemns the trial from Oslo, repeating that it was a terrible mistake and that on the Palestinian side there is no one with whom to negotiate.
Olmert believes that there are Palestinian partners to negotiate, but Israel is constantly undermining the position of moderate Palestinians. He is also afraid that the next step may be the annexation of the Gaza Strip and even the West Bank – something that the key right -wing Netanyahu partners have long been followed. Trump is the only man who in his opinion.
– What is happening is completely unacceptable and unforgivable. At some point, Trump will have to intervene, says Olmert. – I don't know if Trump has a heart. But something can force him to say Netanyahu “enough of this”, because such moods are becoming more and more common in America.
However, considering that Trump's envoys praised the distribution of help by Israel in the enclave at the weekend – which is not divided by other traditional allies of Israel – this perspective seems not very real.
