At the time, Netanyahu saw that questioning "Israel's" survival no longer depended on its foes and friends alike. This topic was sidelined by the wars that engulfed the region - in Syria and Iraq in particular - as its governments battled the Takfiris and terrorist groups that had depleted the countries in the region and undermined their capabilities.
Now in the year 2017, Netanyahu is back to reveal his existential concern, stressing during a "religious meeting that the existence of "Israel" is "not self-evident" as he seeks to ensure its survival for another 20 years. But this time, he spoke as the prime minister. In other words, the one who spoke is the head of the political pyramid who is familiar with the secret assessments of the intelligence agencies concerned with presenting a picture of the current reality and the prospects of the future, and the growing capabilities of the anti-"Israel" camps. He is the one who should ineludibly know "Israel's" nuclear and non-nuclear capabilities.
In this context, it was very striking to compare "Israel" to the Hasmonean Kingdom, a Jewish kingdom that was overthrown by the Roman Empire some two centuries before Christ. Netanyahu considered in this comparison that "over the past 80 years Hasmoneans managed to get out of a very difficult situation." According to Netanyahu, we have to pledge to celebrate "Israel's" centennial. What strengthens the seriousness of Netanyahu's stances is that he made the statement away from the media and during a private religious meeting. But one of the attendees leaked the content of the meeting to Haaretz. The response from the Prime Minister's office came to assert the newspaper's report by not rejecting it and only saying that Netanyahu devotes most of his time to the security issues in order to ensure the security of "Israel" and its existence ... Security dilemmas are not over yet.
The timing of Netanyahu's position, albeit in secret, is no less significant. It came a few days after Hezbollah's Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah threatened the enemy government should it foolishly engage in a war against Hezbollah, calling on the residents of the entity to "leave and return to the countries they came from ... because if Netanyahu waged a war in this region, they may not have time to leave Palestine and will have no safe place in occupied Palestine."
However, in searching for the basis of Netanyahu's underlying fears, we should head to the regional environment where the alleged existential threat to the "Israeli" entity lies. Before that, it should be recalled that those who spoke about the possibility of "Israel's" disappearance is the person who holds the post of "Israeli" Prime Minister and not one of the leaders of the axis of resistance.
The above is not an analysis of an enthusiastic analyst who asserts that the chances of the demise of "Israel" are within reach ... not even on the lips of one of the Jewish religious leaders who foresee the future in light of what is mentioned in religious stories and texts about the future of what they call the state of "Israel."
The problematic nature of this existential concern is the fact that "Israel enjoys a regional environment that has become "free" of the threat of regular armies. From the south and east, "Israel" is assured of its existence due to the peace agreements with Egypt and Jordan. From the north and north-east, Syria is still occupied with confronting the takfiri groups. After nearly seven years of war, it is reasonable to assume that "the Syrian army and state have been depleted. As for Iraq, the US occupation has destroyed the state elements and ISIS continued the mission."
And what is supposed to contribute to strengthening "Israel's" strategic position is the Persian Gulf's and Saudi Arabia's thoughtlessness in normalizing ties with Tel Aviv. So then, where does the existential threat that Netanyahu fears come from?
It should be said that "Netanyahu did not speak of a direct and immediate existential threat ... but spoke in language that any scenario is not guaranteed, and that the survival of "Israel" is not a given. Hence, he is speaking of an existing course that he fears will continue to escalate and affect the existence and national security of the entity.
It is clear that the change in "Israel's" strategic assessment is due to the rapid changes on the Syrian arena and as a result of the victories achieved by the axis of resistance in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Iran. (All these arenas have their courses, estimates, position and role). Tel Aviv and its leaders fear and realize that the upward path of the resistance will threaten the existence of the entity. In order to avoid diving into the analysis of evidence, it is sufficient to take the samples of assessments by the intelligence and military institutions to the threats facing "Israel": i.e. When the Mosad said "the region is changing not to in our benefit", it was referring to the growing Iranian threat in Syria. Then there was the army (Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot), who said that the "Syrian developments are very serious", in addition to statements of the Zionist war minister Avigdor Lieberman when he said "we face a much worse Middle East than the old Middle East." It is essential to keep in mind that for the first time the parties in the resistance axis in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq are geographically connected with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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