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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has failed to win the war in Gaza. Now, his only move should be to bring the hostages home and then re-launch the war—this time, against Palestinianism rather than Hamas, according to Mideast expert Einat Wilf, who is also a former member of Knesset.
Speaking on ILTV’s Insider, Wilf said, “The prime minister has to accept that the whole operation in Gaza was mismanaged, that he failed, and that he needs to cut his losses.” She urged Netanyahu to "ransom" the kidnapped individuals through the current hostage-for-ceasefire deal and get them out of Gaza.
“Enough with the drip, drip, week after week of operations,” Wilf said. Once the hostages are freed, she argued, Israel should shift focus to "the actual war that should have been fought.”
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Wilf explained that the October 7 attack was not just perpetrated by Hamas but “the Palestinian ideology of no Jewish state.” She described Hamas as “merely the executive arm” of this ideology and said Netanyahu must now fight “the actual war that should have been waged 15 years ago” to dismantle the belief system preventing peace.
While Iran is often viewed as Israel’s greatest existential threat, Wilf argued that it is only the most recent backer of Palestinianism. She pointed to past supporters, including the Nazis, pan-Arabists, and the Soviets.
“If Iran falls, Turkey or Qatar will take its place,” she warned.
“The Ayatollah regime will fall because all previous supporters of Palestinianism have always ended in the dustbin of history—unfortunately, not before causing a lot of damage to the Jewish people,” Wilf said.
She criticized Netanyahu for avoiding the core issue.
“If you're not going to deal directly with the enemy and keep running away to projects that you feel are more appropriate to your station, you're not going to deal with the real threat,” she said.
Jonathan Pollard: Iran is capable of anything
However, during the same discussion, former American intelligence analyst Jonathan Pollard, now a vocal figure in Israeli affairs, argued that while Palestinianism may be the root issue, Iran’s immediate nuclear ambitions remain a top concern.
A report released this week indicated that Iran is exploring a fast-track path to developing nuclear weapons.
“When you have a wounded totalitarian regime that understands it’s lost the support of its people, they’re capable of anything at that point,” Pollard told ILTV. “The trick is to defuse their nuclear threat, bring down the government, and allow a popular uprising to occur without destroying the country.”
He suggested that Israel has “technical” capabilities to cripple Iran’s leadership.
“I've already been very public about our need to use a nuclear weapon—an electromagnetic pulse weapon,” Pollard said.
An electromagnetic bomb detonated high in the air would short out all electronic systems, including those crucial to Iran’s nuclear program.
“Electronic centrifuges do not spin unless they have electricity, and once you've destroyed the regime’s ability to control their police, security services, and armies, a popular uprising can occur,” Pollard explained.
Not everyone agrees with his approach.
“I think using a nuclear weapon is absolutely something of the absolute last resort,” stressed author and analyst Ilan Evyatar.
He argued that before Israel takes action, it should give newly elected U.S. President Donald Trump a chance to impose sanctions and pressure the regime. However, he acknowledged that by then, if intelligence reports are correct, Iran may already have a nuclear weapon.