Although the images of the kidnapped being reunited with their families will be shown to the world, it is the documentation of the destruction in Gaza that will dominate. The end of the war will lead to one of several scenarios: the implementation of the agreement and the cessation of calls for sanctions - or the continuation of boycotts, manifestations of anti-Semitism and"leper" status. The realistic scenario: a battle for legitimacy - with hope for a new Middle East
Itamar Eichner
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The coming days in Israel, for the most part, will be characterized by joy bordering on euphoria, as images of the abductees returning from Gaza and reuniting with their families will grab the headlines and run on loop. But around the world, the images will be different and more complex, and will have no less of an impact on Israel's already precarious position.
Suffering from a political crisis
The photos of the hostages will certainly be shown in the world media, and will also be shared by Jews and supporters of Israel on social media, but the images that will dominate over time are the images of the destruction in Gaza.
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The images of the destruction will grab headlines around the world and will receive a "push" on social media (Photo: Bashar TALEB / AFP)
International media will be allowed to enter after two years.
Gaza Strip
, will receive warm treatment from Hamas and the Gazans, who will share their personal stories. The stories will be accompanied by images that will remind many in the world of the destruction left by the atomic bomb in Hiroshima, which was dropped by the United States and led to Japan's surrender in the war. One of the fundamental differences between then and now lies in the age of social media: the images that came out of Hiroshima and caused a shock around the world did not receive a"push" on the networks.
Return to the enlightened world or the "new leper"?
Although it is difficult to predict the consequences of the end of the war on Israel's position in the world, political figures we spoke with describe two possible scenarios: the optimistic and the challenging scenario.
In the optimistic scenario, the first phase of the deal - in which, among other things, the kidnapped Palestinian prisoners will be released and the IDF will withdraw to an agreed line - will calm international public opinion. According to this scenario, the implementation of the next phases of the agreement will take place, and thus the calls for sanctions and boycotts against Israel will slowly cease, and it will return to the bosom of the enlightened world.
(Photo: Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)
However, in the challenging scenario - which is more likely - Israel will continue to lick the political wounds and diplomatic failures of the war for many years to come, failures that could have been avoided if the events had been properly managed. In this scenario, the calls for Israel to be suspended from sports competitions will not cease, and economic sanctions and scientific and cultural boycotts will continue to accompany it. Anti-Semitism will not lower its head either, and hatred of Israelis will remain. The anti-Semitic demon, which is allied with the anti-Israeli demon, will not return to the bottle from which it burst after October 7 and the war that broke out in the wake of the massacre.
Israel's opponents, emboldened by their success in portraying it as the world's"new leper," will continue their work. This activity will continue to be funded by external actors, such as China, Iran, Russia, and Qatar, who have understood that the way to defeat the West is in the arena of consciousness, not on the battlefield.
The realistic scenario
However, it is likely that the scenario that will come true will not be solely the optimistic or the challenging one. Alternatively, there will be a realistic scenario that combines the two: Israel will continue to fight for its legitimacy in the international arena, as it did before October 7 and continued even more vigorously after the difficult Shabbat and as part of the consequences of the war.
The difference now is in hope. In the hope of the sane international community, led by the US, to see the Middle East change direction from wars - to cooperation. From destruction and suffering - to construction and renewal. The agreement signed in Sharm el-Sheikh may be the opening shot for this kind of future. And after all this, only one scenario is going to be catastrophic for Israel: a return to fighting. The world will not forgive us for that, regardless of who is responsible for the return to fighting.
