'Super Sparta' Vision of isolation met with unease by Israelis

Hours before unleashing a ground offensive against Gaza City yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu braced his country for a future of mounting economic isolation, urging it to become a “super Sparta” of the Middle East.

- Julian Borger

The future the prime minister laid out for Israel, of a more militarised society, a partial autarky - or economically self-sufficient country - with limited trade options relying increasingly on homemade production, has stirred up a backlash among Israelis who are ever more uneasy at the prospect of following Netanyahu down the path to a pariah state.

Yesterday, Israel took a few more steps along that path. As its tanks lumbered through the streets towards the centre of Gaza City, a UN commission of inquiry published a detailed and damning report which concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

On the same day, the European Commission prepared to discuss the potential suspension of part of the Israel-EU trade agreement, while the list of countries promising to recognise Palestine continued to grow.

On the news, and on social media sites, there are daily stories of Israelis getting into scuffles or being assailed by hostile locals while on holiday abroad. For many Israelis, who have grown up thinking of themselves as an outpost of “the west” in the Middle East, all this is deeply troubling.