ISRAEL AT WAR, ONE YEAR ON/ Chuck Freilich

The 7 October 2023 Hamas attack precipitated Israel’s longest war and its first existential one since 1973. Although Israel has enjoyed military successes against Hamas, Hizbullah and Iran itself, it remains focused on the persistent threats posed by the ‘axis of resistance’ and its own political failures. US–Israeli strategic cooperation has been unprecedented, including the first joint combat operations. But bilateral tensions, especially regarding civilian casualties and the post-war future of Gaza, have also grown. Israel is compelled to reassess its overall national-security strategy, its reluctance to devise a long-term strategy for Gaza and the West Bank, its ties with the international community, the existential importance of the relationship with the United States, and polarisation within Israeli society. The two-state solution may be the ultimate casualty of the war, necessitating new approaches to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

GAZA, HAMAS, ISRAEL, LEBANON