The former commander of Israel Defense Forces Radio, Moshe Shlonsky, said that Hamas has achieved diplomatic victory despite its military losses.
Media figure and former Galei Tzahal radio station head Moshe Shlonsky gave his take on the Gaza war, expressing deep concern over Israel’s international standing and stating that Hamas had defeated Israel in that sphere—not militarily, but diplomatically.
“Hamas defeated us unintentionally,” Shlonsky said. “They’ve planted doubt about the legitimacy of the Zionist enterprise, and that’s alarming.”
He continued, “The question isn’t about another war or fewer wars. The real issue is long-term status. Our legitimacy has always rested, in part, on being perceived as white in the Middle East. People are killed in Sudan and Syria, yet the outrage is different because we are white. That’s been an unspoken view swept under the rug.”
Shlonsky also suggested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other leaders likely foresaw how a war in Gaza would be perceived and tried to avoid it. “You’re dealing with a terrorist group that operates like a state and is indifferent to consequences. From our point of view, we’ve lost Israel’s unique status, and that’s what worries me most. Right-wing or left-wing politics don’t matter here, it’s beyond that.”
