Israel incapable of accomplishing war objectives/Pro-Palestinian protests affecting US-Israel ties

Tehran, Qodsna - Daniel Kovalik said in an exclusive interview with the Qods News Agency that international pressure can lay the groundwork for forcing the Zionist regime to stop the genocidal onslaught in the Gaza Strip.

The full interview comes as follows:

Qodsna: What is your take on the rifts among Zionist leaders on the Rafah operation?

Daniel Kovalik: It is clear that the rifts among the Israeli leaders is the result of their realization that Israel is losing – not only losing the war, but also the hearts and minds of the world.  Israel has not defeated Hamas as it hoped it could do, and there is no indication that it can accomplish this goal.  Meanwhile, Israel's economy is collapsing. The Israeli leaders know that they are running out of time and out of options. And, the Israeli leaders know that if the Resistance really upped its military confrontation with Israel that Israel could be defeated entirely.  And so, as often happens in such situations, the Israeli leaders are playing the blame game and turning on each other.  While they focus on arguing about the vision for the "day after" the war, they don't even have answers for what they should do during the war.  We can expect these divisions to grow and for the current ruling coalition of 7 political parties to collapse. 

Qodsna: What is your opinion on the negative impact of the Gaza war on US- Zionist ties?

Daniel Kovalik: The relations between the US and Israel are being tested right now more than any time in Israel's history.  While the political leaders of the US still support Israel, they are being confronted with unprecedented pro-Palestinian protests, particularly in the US universities.  The Biden Administration is waking up to the fact that Biden could very well lose the 2024 election over the Gaza issue, and it would like this war to end as soon as possible to avert this.  However, just as Israel, the White House wants to see the war end with an Israeli victory, and that seems nearly impossible now.  And so, the US government is in a terrible bind.  There is now no way to return to where things were before October 7.  The American people, including the students on elite campuses who will be the country's next leaders, cannot unsee what they have seen – that is, the videos of dead children and untold destruction in Gaza.  Israel will never have the support it has had before. While this is very good for the prospects in the long-term, this does present an immediate danger. Israel knows that if it is to carry out its final solution of the Palestinian issue – that is, the total removal of all Palestinians from their historic land – it has to do so now, and it has to do so quickly. Just as the Nazis sped up the Holocaust as Germany began to lose to the USSR, the Israelis will speed up the genocide they are carrying out in Gaza unless someone steps in to stop them.

Qodsna: How do you think international pressures such as ICJ ruling can affect Gaza war?

Daniel Kovalik: This is a difficult question.  While I would like to say that such international pressures can make a difference in the war, Israel seems largely impervious to international opinion. Indeed, as Israel feels more and more isolated internationally and more cornered, it may tend to simply double-down on its assault on Gaza and the West Bank as well. My honest assessment is that there needs to be a military intervention to stop Israel. And to the extent that international pressure can lay the groundwork for such an intervention – perhaps by encouraging a United Nations "uniting for peace" measure to override the Security Council and order military intervention based upon the ICJ decision ordering provisional measures – that is probably where such pressure will be most effective.