Freedom with Conditions: How Netanyahu Redefined Power and Morality in the Middle East
Netanyahu’s impact on Middle East politics https://mrpo.pk/israels-birth-and-relentless-expansion/
The Illusion of Equal Liberty
Netanyahu’s impact on Middle East politics,freedom a concept cherished, displayed, even exported. But in today’s global landscape, it increasingly resembles a luxury brand—available only to those with the right alliances, passports, and positions. The rest? They’re left staring through the shop window, wondering why they’re still locked out.
Enter Benjamin Netanyahu, a man who has not only understood the calculus of selective liberty but has arguably mastered it.
As a fragile ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed his army’s damage to Iran’s nuclear and military constituted a “historic victory.” US President Donald Trump later slammed a US intelligence report for concluding his strikes over the weekend only set back Iran’s nuclear program by a few months, contradicting Trump’s assertion that it had been “obliterated.”
For over three decades, the Israeli Prime Minister has wielded influence far beyond his nation’s borders—redrawing diplomatic maps, restructuring regional power blocs, and shifting the moral compass of global institutions. His enduring impact? The normalization of a geopolitical double standard.
From Warnings to Wars: Netanyahu’s Doctrine of Threat
Netanyahu’s political playbook has always emphasized one thing: survival in a hostile environment. To him, peace is only as durable as your firepower, and diplomacy is just war with better manners.
He has consistently identified regional states—Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Lebanon—as existential threats, often invoking their alleged nuclear or chemical weapons programs as justification for international interventions. In many cases, those threats proved inflated or unfounded. But the impact? Devastating.
- Iraq was flattened under the pretext of WMDs.
- Libya’s disarmament paved the path to civil collapse.
- Syria spiraled into a decade-long conflict after chemical weapons claims sparked global outrage.
- Iran, despite no conclusive proof of an active weapons program, faced sanctions that crushed its economy and emboldened hardliners.
At the center of each of these narratives: Netanyahu, relentlessly lobbying Western capitals with carefully curated intelligence and masterful rhetoric.
Israel’s Expanding Shadow: Rewriting the Region
Under Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel has transformed from a diplomatically isolated state to a cornerstone of Middle Eastern power dynamics. His crowning diplomatic achievement, the Abraham Accords, normalized ties with UAE, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco—without addressing the Palestinian issue.
That’s not accidental. Netanyahu’s strategy has consistently sidelined Palestine from the region’s central concerns. He’s convinced Arab states that economic gains and defense cooperation matter more than historical grievances. It’s realpolitik with a human cost.
His government’s policies—expanding settlements, militarizing borders, and carrying out operations in Gaza with high civilian casualties—have drawn international criticism. And yet, Western powers continue to provide military aid and diplomatic cover.
Even the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for alleged war crimes hasn’t stopped U.S. or European arms shipments. Why? Because Netanyahu’s framing of the conflict as part of a global war on terror still holds sway in global policy circles.
The “Civilized” World and Its Convenient Blind Spot
Despite his track record, Netanyahu has received standing ovations in the U.S. Congress, red carpet welcomes across Europe, and steadfast support from institutions that otherwise champion human rights and democratic values.
Why the double standard?
- Strategic alignment: Israel is seen as a democratic ally in an unstable region.
- Historical guilt: Post-Holocaust Europe remains hesitant to critique Israel.
- Political muscle: Pro-Israel lobbying groups have considerable influence in Western politics.
- Shared narratives: Netanyahu’s security-driven worldview often mirrors that of Western military-industrial logic.
It’s not just silence—it’s systemic complicity.
Selective Liberty: A Locked Door with a Welcome Mat
What we’re witnessing isn’t freedom—it’s freedom on commission. If you’re on the right side of alliances, your actions are “self-defense.” If you’re on the wrong side, even peaceful resistance is “terrorism.”
Meanwhile, in Gaza, over 55,000 people have died in recent years. In Iran, civilians pay the price for sanctions driven by old fears. And across the region, the doors of liberty remain locked—while the “civilized” world congratulates itself for choosing security over justice.
Final Thoughts: Who Holds the Key?
If freedom isn’t universal, then it isn’t freedom—it’s a performance. Netanyahu didn’t invent the global double standard, but he perfected it. With sharp rhetoric, unyielding strategy, and a keen understanding of Western anxieties, he turned selective justice into normalized policy.
The real question isn’t how one man shaped the Middle East. It’s how a world that claims to value democracy let him do it—again and again.
Because if we can justify freedom only for some, what we’re actually preserving isn’t civilization. It’s hypocrisy—with an army.
