There are children with special needs who are incapable of independence. Israel is like that. Take away its reliance on the U.S., its babysitter, and a disaster worse than the ones it has brought upon itself will occur
Gideon LevyFollow
April 22 2026
Is Israel ready for independence? Is independence good for it? The past few years have shown that it would be better for it not to be independent just now, certainly not under the current leadership, but also not under others, either. And no more empty clichés about independence: An independent Israel is an Israel without restraints, a danger to itself and its surroundings.
Israel has never been completely independent. It's doubtful that a country of its size and pretensions is capable of full independence. In recent months, Israelis have been presented with irrefutable proof that their country is far from independent and that's a good thing. The end of the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran was imposed on Israel with a single phone call. Anyone glorying in the independence of the state had to swallow the shame, to deny, obscure or repress their pride.
But the truth cried out: There are issues in which Israel has no say, not even regarding critical issues concerning it and its military. One of the world's most brazen countries, which overwhelmingly ignores the decisions of the international community and the advice of its friends, was forced to recognize, if not admit, the limits of its power. And that saved it.
The day after "Independence Day," imagine an independent Israel: not reliant upon the United States or any other country, master of its own fate. The war in Gaza continues, and with it, a mass expulsion and ethnic cleansing of all the Strip's inhabitants. The killing becomes even more barbaric, 700,000 dead instead of 70,000, while the rest are expelled through the south.
No one stops Israel. And then it begins populating the Strip with thousands of settlers. For that, they would even give up a few pogrom farms in the West Bank. This is the vision of most members of the government; it's hard to think of any who are opposed. It is also hard to see Benjamin Netanyahu, given the prime minister's political and personal situation, preventing these moves. The Israel Defense Forces will carry it out obediently, even joyfully.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a Memorial Day opening ceremony at the Yad LaBanim House in Jerusalem, on Monday. Credit: Marc Israel Sellem/AP
Imagine an independent Israel in Lebanon. The forces are on the outskirts of Beirut. The destruction in the south is absolute and rapidly advancing northward. There's no stopping it. The settlers of Gaza are sending their teenage sons to start farms in southern Lebanon on top of the ruins of villages. Who would say no to settling the entire country? Who would say no to expanding Israel's borders?
Mike Huckabee will attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the first settlement in Lebanon, the first step toward realizing the U.S. ambassador's vision of Israel from the Euphrates to the Nile. Imagine an independent Israel in Iran. The war drags on endlessly, and the doomsday weapon is ready for action.
An independent Israel is an Israel without restraints. Who is it good for, besides the lunatic far right? The rest should thank God and his messenger, Donald Trump, for stopping for Israel on three fronts.
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It's very nice to talk about independence. Children, too, want to grow up and be independent. But there are children with special needs who are incapable of independence, for whom independence is a curse. Israel is like that. Take away its dependence on the United States, its babysitter and a disaster worse than the ones it has brought upon itself will occur. The lust for power and greed for territory, the megalomania that makes it believe that it can and may do anything in the region, the arrogance and condescension toward its neighbors, and the implicit belief that almost every Israeli is a member of a chosen people are not traits that can be left unsupervised. Special needs.
A state whose mindset swings between paranoia and megalomania, who sees an existential threat under every rock, believes that its military power is the solution to every problem and never takes responsibility for its actions, always blaming everyone but itself, cannot be an independent state. Let's be honest: If it were even less independent than it is right now, its situation would be infinitely better.