Israel reshaped Middle East through strength, exposing terror-backed failures as hostile regimes and propagandists unravel.
Former British Army commander Richard Kemp told Israel National News that Israel’s accomplishments in 2025 were “extraordinary,” confounding critics and so-called experts who consistently underestimated the Jewish state.
Kemp highlighted the near-total return of hostages promised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, noting that only the remains of fallen hero Ran Gvili are yet to be recovered—an achievement few believed possible. In Gaza, he said, the Israel Defense Forces decisively broke Hamas, forcing a ceasefire and leaving the terror group controlling less than half the Strip.
Kemp described the 12-day war against Iran as decisive—crippling Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, air defenses, and missile capabilities while exposing the regime as a “paper tiger.” That humiliation, he said, helped spark today’s uprisings in Iran. Israel also struck the Houthis and constrained Hezbollah in the north, while establishing protective buffer zones in Syria.
Economically and diplomatically, Israel consolidated battlefield gains with strengthened trade, a multibillion-dollar gas deal with Egypt, expanded arms sales to Germany and the UAE, and historic recognition of Somaliland—moves that underline Israel’s strategic maturity despite relentless international hostility driven by pro-Palestinian and Arab political pressure.
Kemp credited President Donald Trump for supplying critical munitions, diplomatic cover, and direct military backing, and praised Netanyahu and Ron Dermer for preserving an ironclad U.S.–Israel alliance.
Looking to 2026, Kemp warned that Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran, and Turkish ambitions remain threats—but stressed Israel will prevail again. While anti-Israel governments in Europe reward Palestinian terror with empty statehood gestures, reality is clear: regimes and movements built on hatred of Israel, civilian exploitation, and propaganda collapse when confronted by strength, unity, and moral clarity.
