INTRODUCTION
This article is not born of hatred. It does not respond to any religious ideology or blind political positioning. Much less to any kind of anti-Semitism. What is proposed here is a direct - and necessary - critique of the roadmap being followed by the Israeli ultra-right: a strategy that, far from seeking peace, has made permanent conflict its source of power and legitimacy.
Because it is one thing for a state to have the right to exist. It is quite another to use that right as a shield to justify the systematic displacement of a people, the censorship of internal dissent and the emotional blackmail of anyone who dares to question it.
Here we are not judging a people. We analyze a narrative. And it dismantles, point by point, a political machine that has found in war its most profitable business.
1. The strategy of the permanent enemy
For years, the Israeli ultra-right has turned the Palestinians into the perfect useful enemy. An enemy that never disappears, is always latent, and serves as an excuse for everything: shielding political power, justifying military offensives, curbing social discontent and polarizing public opinion.
The narrative is simple but effective: "they want to destroy us", "we live surrounded by threats", "the world does not understand us". And with that, any criticism becomes treason, and any authoritarian measure is sold as national defense.
Fear, well managed, is more effective than any argument.
2. What is the Israeli ultra-right and who does it represent?
The Israeli ultra-right is not a new phenomenon, but in the last decade it has gone from being a radical sector to becoming the central axis of political power. It is composed of a coalition of nationalist, religious and ultra-Orthodox parties that defend a maximalist vision of the State of Israel: biblical borders, Jewish supremacy, annexation of Palestinian territories and a theocracy disguised under the name of democracy.
Its most visible figure is Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party, which has governed Israel for more than 16 years. In his last mandates he has made pacts with parties such as Religious Zionist, Shas and United Torah Judaism, some of which have been openly racist, homophobic and against the rule of law.
This coalition represents mainly ultra-Orthodox sectors, settlers in the West Bank, conservative middle classes and nationalist military. Its agenda prioritizes the expansion of illegal settlements in occupied territories, the dismantling of the independent judiciary, the repression of Palestinian activism and the silencing of critical voices. And, above all, the instrumentalization of fear to cohere the population around a common enemy.
Rather than a peace project, the Israeli ultra-right has promoted a policy of survival based on the militarization of the conflict, permanent victimization and the "us against the world" narrative.
3. Gaza: open air prison and war board
Gaza is not a country. It is not a state. It is not free.
It is a territory of just 365 km² where more than 2 million people live, most of them descendants of Palestinians expelled during the 1948 Nakba. From 1967 to 2005, Gaza was militarily occupied by Israel. In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from the enclave, but retained control of airspace, borders and maritime access, in collaboration with Egypt.
Although there is an internationally recognized Palestinian authority, Gaza has been governed de facto by Hamas since 2007, following an internal war with Fatah. Hamas is an Islamist organization that emerged in 1987 as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. In its beginnings, some Israeli sectors saw its rise as a useful counterweight to the secular nationalism of Fatah and the PLO, which favored its expansion.
In 2006, Hamas won the Palestinian legislative elections - the last to be held - in a context of Fatah's attrition. The process was supervised by international observers and considered valid, although it took place in a climate of tension. The subsequent break with Fatah led to Hamas taking power in Gaza.
Since then, Hamas has fired rockets into Israel and has been the target of repeated military offensives. However, relations are more complex. Israel has allowed transfers of funds from Qatar to Gaza to maintain some control of the humanitarian situation. It has tolerated Hamas control as a check on Fatah's influence. And it has instrumentalized the existence of Hamas as a justification for avoiding any real peace process.
Meanwhile, the civilian population lives trapped in an untenable situation: without freedom or shelter. Without horizon.
4. The Ben Gurion Canal and the Geopolitics of Chaos
Behind the smoke, sometimes there are also maps.
Among the many geopolitical factors surrounding the conflict, some analysts have recalled the existence of an ancient project known as the Ben Gurion Canal: a proposal to connect the Red Sea to the Mediterranean through the Negev desert, as a strategic alternative to the Suez Canal.
Although the project has been discussed for decades and has yet to materialize, its route crosses sensitive areas in southern Israel, close to the Gaza Strip. This has given rise to hypotheses linking economic and logistical interests with recent military decisions, especially around the Rafah area and the Philadelphi corridor.
It is important to stress that there is no direct evidence that this channel is the cause of offensives, but neither can it be ignored that armed conflicts often reconfigure territories in a way that is functional to broader interests.
Beyond the hypotheses, what is clear is that wars are almost never purely ideological or religious. Territorial control, resources and strategic routes remain key factors. And, as so often in history, those who pay the highest price are the civilian populations caught in the middle.
5. October 7, 2023: surprise attack or political play?
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched the most brutal attack in Israel's recent history. More than 1,200 people were killed. The defense system failed. The shock was total. It is particularly striking that a country considered among the most protected in the world, with one of the most advanced intelligence agencies - the Mossad - failed to anticipate and react in time to an attack of this magnitude. Israel has surveillance cameras, drones, sensors and military posts along the entire border with Gaza. And yet, Hamas militiamen managed to penetrate with bulldozers, on foot and by air, crossing one of the most heavily monitored areas on the planet without encountering immediate resistance. It is also known that the attack coincided with a holiday -Simchat Torah- and with Shabbat, which reduced the operational alert. Media outlets such as Haaretz and The New York Times have reported that some Israeli intelligence analysts previously warned of suspicious maneuvers by Hamas, but their warnings were ignored or downplayed by the top brass. The internal document known as "Walls of Jericho," which anticipated a possible large-scale attack, was dismissed as unrealistic. All this fuels questions about how such a deep security breach could have occurred in one of the most heavily guarded perimeters in the world.
The country was going through a deep institutional crisis. The streets were filled with mass protests against a judicial reform promoted by the Netanyahu government, perceived by broad sectors as a threat to democracy. The legitimacy of the executive was wavering. Even within the army, the unease was palpable. Netanyahu, facing unprecedented internal pressure, regained his role as leader of a nation at war.
In the midst of this change of climate, disturbing data emerged: a preliminary study released by researchers at Columbia University -still in preprint format, i.e. without formal academic review- warned about anomalous stock market movements registered days before the attack. Millionaire investments betting on the fall of the Israeli market were detected, which later generated substantial profits. Despite the seriousness of the indications, no financial or judicial authority has launched an investigation. The lack of political will and the war context have left this issue out of the institutional focus, further fueling unanswered questions.
Nor are there clear answers about Hamas' expectations: did they believe that a massive attack could generate a popular uprising? A tactical victory? What is certain is that the result was devastating: a relentless military response by Israel, the almost total isolation of the Gazan people, and the consolidation of the warmongering narrative in Israeli policy.
The attack was atrocious, unjustifiable and tragic. But it was also a strategic mistake on the part of Hamas, which not only failed to achieve its objectives, but aggravated the situation of its own people. And if at some level of Israeli power it was sensed what was going to happen and was not prevented, then the civilian population of Gaza was - once again - sacrificed by irresponsible decisions on both sides, although the cost has been brutally asymmetrical.
6. Conflict or perpetual punishment?
It is not a war between equals. Israel has the most sophisticated military in the Middle East. It has nuclear weapons. It has alliances with the powers. Palestine does not even have sovereignty.
Since 1948, the conflict has resulted in the death of more than 100,000 Palestinians and about 10,000 Israelis. ⚠️ These figures may vary slightly depending on the sources (B'Tselem, Human Rights Watch, OCHA-UN, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli army, etc.). According to international agencies, for every Israeli killed in the conflict since 1948, at least ten Palestinians have died. This disproportion reflects a structural asymmetry in the number of victims that highlights the inequality of means, power and consequences between the two sides.
Between 2023 and mid-2025 alone, more than 35,000 Gazans have been killed, 2 million have been displaced, hospitals have been destroyed and entire neighborhoods wiped off the map. In the same period, about 90 Israelis were killed, mostly during the initial October 7 attack or in one-off reprisals.
This is not defense. It is systematic punishment. A machine that needs the enemy to keep running. And a world that acts as if there are lives that are worth more than others.
7. When memory becomes a shield and faith becomes a weapon
The Israeli ultra-right has turned trauma into power. Its official narrative combines historical victimhood, technological supremacy and a nationalist faith that justifies everything. And the world - out of fear, guilt or interest - buys that narrative.
But pain does not give the right to cause more pain. And religion, when it becomes a weapon, does not liberate: it oppresses.
This is not just a territorial conflict. It is also a war against equality. Against the right of another people to exist without kneeling.
And the most obscene thing is that all this is sustained with supposedly "moral" discourses: with the excuse of self-defense, with the narrative of the "chosen people", with the absolute dehumanization of the other.
And while Gaza bleeds, the world remains silent. Not out of ignorance. But out of complicity.
The Israeli ultra-right today represents one of the most radical expressions of the current authoritarian neoliberalism based on religious dogmas and control logics.
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