Seth Mandel
Imagine reading the following headline: “Man shoved onto subway tracks survives, but at what cost?”
This is how the media handles the story every time Israel outwits its enemies and lives to fight another day.
The latest version comes from Michael Shear in the New York Times, though it is entirely representative of the general theme of postwar reporting on Israel, to say nothing of the social-media “influencers” forced to find some way to cope with another successful Israeli defense of its sovereignty.
The Times headline is: “The Cost of Victory: Israel Overpowered Its Foes, but Deepened Its Isolation.”
Translation: The losing side is resentful of the victors.
The headline’s claim doesn’t even hold up. Israel had the use of Syrian airspace for its attacks on Iran, and Jerusalem and Damascus are in negotiations over burying the hatchet completely. Flying over the Arab world to take out Iran’s air defenses is a sign not of isolation but of integration.
That quibble aside, there is a larger problem with this conceit. Take this paragraph from Shear’s piece:
“Mr. Netanyahu’s relentless and unapologetic military response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack that killed 1,200 people and took 250 people hostage has cemented the view of Israel as a pariah, its leadership accused of genocide and war crimes, and disdained by some world leaders. In opinion polls globally, most people have a negative view of Israel.”
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