Former Israeli prime minister and defense ministers leader Ehud Barak "fears Israel has only weeks left to eliminate Hamas," as international criticism of Israel mounts over its horrific bombing campaign in Gaza, Politico reported Tuesday.
Most importantly, support for Israel’s military campaign, which has killed over 10,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, in just one month, has soured in the US, Israel’s main backer. In an exclusive interview with Politico, Barak observed the "rhetoric of US officials had shifted in recent days with a mounting chorus of calls for a humanitarian pause in the fighting."
It is widely acknowledged that Israel could not carry out its current war, launched in response to Hamas’ surprise attack on Israeli settlements surrounding Gaza on October 7th, without US help. Barak worries that the initial support for Israel generated in the wake of the Hamas attack is waning, as video of dead Palestinian women and children continues to be live streamed out of Gaza.
"You can see the window is closing. It’s clear we are heading towards friction with the Americans about the offensive. America cannot dictate to Israel what to do. But we cannot ignore them," Barak said. "We will have to come to terms with the American demands within the next two or three weeks, probably less."