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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
The writer is a Saudi author and political commentator
In today’s world, the belief that physical territory is a nation’s most vital asset is increasingly outdated. While land once defined power in agrarian societies, the strength of modern states derives from economic vitality, institutional integrity and global legitimacy — not territorial conquest.
Israel’s continued obsession with expansion stands in stark contrast to this reality. Its pursuit of more territory at the expense of the indigenous Palestinian population — cloaked in the language of security and religious entitlement — not only endangers Palestinians but also threatens Israel itself.
Expansion in the occupied West Bank and now Gaza has entrenched a cycle of violence and radicalisation. The displacement of Palestinians, the erosion of the Palestinian Authority and the militarisation of Israeli society have condemned Israelis to a future shaped by fear, paranoia and perpetual conflict.
This danger is compounded by the nature of modern warfare. Asymmetric threats, fuelled by rapidly evolving and increasingly accessible technology, allow non-state actors to inflict the sort of damage that only governments were capable of in the past. That threat will only grow, as more such actors emerge and more destructive tools — including chemical and biological weapons — become easier to acquire.
A central fallacy of Israeli strategy is the long-standing belief that territorial depth offers lasting security — an idea that has been central to Israel’s military doctrine for decades. Proponents argue that control over Gaza and the occupied West Bank is essential to prevent attacks. But that logic collapses in today’s strategic landscape. Ballistic missiles from Yemen already threaten Israel; tomorrow, even more advanced and affordable technologies will make geography irrelevant. Land no longer serves as a buffer. In fact, continued occupation incites the very violence it purports to prevent, making expansionism a dangerously self-defeating illusion.
So what does Israel truly gain from this relentless push to expand its borders? The cost is staggering: deepening international isolation, increasing threats to the global Jewish community, psychological trauma within a constantly targeted Israeli society, and the further destabilisation of an already volatile region.
Today, Israel increasingly resembles a state frozen in time — governed by ideology and sustained by military force. It routinely violates international norms through the targeting of civilians, collective punishment and systemic discrimination based on ethnicity and religion. Supporters of these apartheid-like policies claim Israel has no choice — that it faces a hostile Arab and Muslim world intent on its destruction because it is Jewish. This is a convenient distortion. The violence Israel confronts is largely reactive, born from decades of occupation and displacement, which empower Arab and Muslim radicals and weaken moderates, undermining any potential for compromise.
Perhaps most damning is Israel’s refusal to seriously pursue peace. Despite its rhetoric, it continues to avoid taking any meaningful risks for reconciliation. Instead, it exploits the acts of Arab extremists as justification for inaction, painting itself as a perpetual victim. But true leadership demands courage. Only a genuine peace process can neutralise extremism and create lasting security. Peace is not granted by fate — it is a conscious choice.
The Palestinian leadership has also failed its people at critical moments. At various points in history, fleeting opportunities for peace were met with internal division, missed chances and a lack of political courage. These failures, too, have prolonged the conflict and allowed hardliners on both sides to dominate the narrative.
Yet as the overwhelmingly dominant power — militarily, economically and politically — Israel holds the keys to peace. And with such power comes responsibility. It alone has the capacity to define the path forward and must bear the greater share of blame for the continued absence of a resolution.
A better path remains, though it narrows with every new settlement, every air strike and every human rights violation. Israel can still support the creation of a viable Palestinian state and bring a century of conflict to a close.
Ordinary Israelis, like people everywhere, long for peace and safety. But that future is being held hostage by zealots who value conquest over coexistence. In the end, a nation of 10mn, surrounded by hundreds of millions of Arabs and Muslims, cannot secure itself without the genuine goodwill of its neighbours — not just treaties with governments, but peace endorsed by their peoples.
Israel must choose: will it be a nation defined by walls, weapons and fear, or one grounded in regional co-operation and global respect? The first path leads to endless violence and condemnation. The second offers a rare and fleeting chance to build a truly secure future.
Until Israel takes concrete steps towards a two-state solution — steps that give Palestinians hope — it will remain trapped in a futile, self-inflicted cycle of violence.