Versuchen GOLD - Frei

Gamechanger Direct attack on Israel is a crisis that affects us all

The Guardian Weekly

|

April 19, 2024

The missiles and drones that rained destruction on Israel last Sunday morning gave Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, what he craved - a mandate and justification for openly attacking Iran, a country he has long viewed as Israel's archenemy.

- Simon Tisdall

Gamechanger Direct attack on Israel is a crisis that affects us all

The pressing question is what form Israel's promised "significant response" will take and if Iran will strike back again.

The responses of the US, Britain and other allies of Israel will be crucial. It is incumbent on them to inform Netanyahu that military, diplomatic and political support is conditional on a legitimate and proportionate riposte. It would be preferable if Israel did not hit back.

Iran failed in its apparent aim of inflicting serious harm. Israel says 99% of its missiles and drones were destroyed. Casualties have been light. Tehran said last Sunday the episode is "concluded" - but has vowed to fight back if attacked.

And what will Netanyahu do? His wisest course would be to hold up the attacks as proof of his hawkish view: that Iran is a rogue state that flouts international law and imperils Israel, Arab and western states.

Given his past form, however, it is unrealistic to expect Netanyahu to turn the other cheek. Tehran's action has presented him with a unique opportunity to switch global attention away from his government's appalling depredations in Gaza and failure to defeat Hamas.

WEITERE GESCHICHTEN VON The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

Feeling in a pickle? How leftover brine can give your cooking a kick

I’m an avid consumer of pickles. When I’ve finished a jar, how can I use the brine in my cooking?

time to read

2 mins

July 04, 2025

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

Cool retreats Hill stations swamped by tourists fleeing heat

Until recently, the drive up the mountainous road to Landour was a highlight of a visit to the hilltop town, as drivers enjoyed glorious Himalayan views and breathed in the cool forest air. Today, the journey is something to be endured with up to 1,000 cars a day clogging the narrow, winding road - slowing to navigate hairpin bends. A journey that once took five to six hours from Delhi can now take up to 10 hours, especially at weekends in May and June.

time to read

3 mins

July 04, 2025

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

How the rise of Zohran Mamdani has divided Democrats

The Friday night before election day, Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old democratic socialist running for mayor of New York City, walked the length of Manhattan, from Inwood Hill Park at its northern tip to the Battery - about 20km. Along the way, he was greeted by a stream of New Yorkers enjoying the sticky summer night - men rose from their folding chairs to shake his hand, drivers honked in support and diners leapt up to snap a selfie with the would-be leader of their city.

time to read

5 mins

July 04, 2025

The Guardian Weekly

‘It’s a fight for life’ Tipping points, doomerism and catastrophic risks

Climate expert Genevieve Guenther on the importance of correcting the false narrative that climate threat is under control... and why it is appropriate to be scared

time to read

5 mins

July 04, 2025

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

Call to revive the spirit of Greenham Common

In August 1981, 36 people, mainly women, walked from Wales to RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire to protest against the storing of US cruise missiles in the UK.

time to read

2 mins

July 04, 2025

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

Who are the jihadists waging a ghost war in the Sahel?

The scene is wearily familiar. It is dusk at a ramshackle military outpost, surrounded by miles of scrubby desert or on the outskirts of a major town.

time to read

3 mins

July 04, 2025

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

Will Ghibli's magic fade as the studio turns 40?

The beloved Japanese animation house faces an uncertain future, with its figurehead, 84-year-old Hayao Miyazaki, claiming he has made his final film

time to read

3 mins

July 04, 2025

The Guardian Weekly

The Guardian Weekly

The ripple effect

After America's blunt intervention, Donald Trump says the war between Iran and Israel is over. But the perceived readiness of the US to employ force instead of negotiations could have knock-on consequences around the world

time to read

4 mins

July 04, 2025

The Guardian Weekly

Broken justice...

Critics argue that far from shielding the world from the worst crimes, international law has protected states by helping them justify their wrongs. Is the system dying or merely in hibernation?

time to read

16 mins

July 04, 2025

The Guardian Weekly

While the death toll mounts, Israel's allies must help build a future for Palestinians

“We cannot be asking civilians to go into a combat zone so that then they can be killed with the justification that they are in a combat zone.” It defies belief that the Unicef spokesperson, James Elder, should have needed to spell that out last week.

time to read

2 mins

July 04, 2025

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size