Last Wednesday, Israeli journalist Shmuel Rosner wrote in Maariv that a British tech firm had sent an email to an Israeli technical university, notifying them of the cancellation of a supply agreement for laboratory equipment.
At first glance, such an incident may appear trivial. As Rosner puts it, many would assume this won’t bring Israeli scientific research to a halt. Delays may happen, but the world won’t stop turning.
But Rosner warns otherwise. While this move may not resemble a sudden tsunami, it could prove to be like a venomous snake—quiet but deadly. The alarm grows louder after statements from Yair Golan, head of Israel’s Democratic Party, who shamelessly declared that Israel kills Gaza’s children as a hobby.
Rosner’s most critical point is that many countries—including European states—are simply waiting for the right moment to hit Israel where it hurts: through unprecedented tools like economic sanctions. If that occurs, the average Israeli will feel it fast—in their wallet, travel freedoms, and daily business dealings.
But the most revealing element in his piece is this: **there’s only one country standing between Israel and a global diplomatic reckoning—**the United States.
As long as the American shield holds, Israel can afford to shrug off growing condemnation from Europe and Canada. But Rosner argues that this shield is weakening under Trump. The White House has begun hinting that the war must end soon, and Trump could begin to loosen support with a single sentence like:
“France—or any other country—has the right to decide whether it wants to do business with Israel.”
If that happens, the dominoes will fall. Especially as Operation “Gideon’s Chariots” in Gaza struggles to make progress, and global patience runs dangerously thin.
Rosner closes his article with a stark warning:
“Israel can still act swiftly—or it can stall until the world either forces it to stop… or rescues it from its own actions.”
This commentary is vital—but it deserves further scrutiny. Rosner operates on an assumption: that America commands, and Israel obeys.
Yes, it’s true that U.S. and Israeli interests have occasionally diverged. Yes, the U.S. is the world’s superpower. And yes, Israel functions largely as a strategic outpost for American policy in the Middle East. But what we’ve witnessed since October 7, 2023—the latest chapter of Israeli brutality in Gaza—forces us to confront two grim possibilities:
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- Either the U.S. cannot restrain Israel, even as Tel Aviv’s aggression threatens long-term American interests in the region;
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- Or, far more likely, the U.S. is fully complicit in this war, committed to helping Israel reach its maximalist objectives—even at the cost of massacring Palestinians, demolishing their homes, and driving them off their land.
Let’s not forget, Trump—who postures as a tough-talking strongman to the world—has applied zero real pressure on Israel to halt its crimes in Gaza.
Even former President Barack Obama, hailed by some as a moderate, failed to restrain Netanyahu. In fact, Netanyahu bypassed Obama entirely, addressing the U.S. Congress directly behind his back, to raucous applause.
That same defiance continued under Joe Biden, who tried to tone down Israeli excesses—but, just like Obama, couldn’t.
The truth is, Israel has mastered the art of extracting everything it wants from the United States—weapons, funding, vetoes, and diplomatic cover. Its survival strategy is clear: tie its objectives to America’s own, so that opposing Israeli actions seems like opposing U.S. interests.
And yet, there remains a missed opportunity on the Arab side. The one real leverage Arabs still possess is economic—especially when it comes to U.S. investments, oil, and trade.
Imagine if Arab states had the collective courage to say:
“Our money and investments will increase in your country—but on one condition: You rein in the Israeli bull rampaging through Palestine.”
But sadly, that card is still sitting on the table—untouched.
