Israel slips into international isolation

The daily Le Soir sees the danger that Israel could slip into international isolation as a result of its settlement policy in the West Bank. But according to the paper this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing because it could make Israel wake up to the disadvantages of its confrontation strategy: "American diplomacy has managed to prompt [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu to officially declare that Israel will not break off its colonisation of the West Bank. Netanyahu is thus instigating the greatest crisis his country has experienced … in 20 years in its relations with its most important allies. He … is perhaps doing peace the greatest service. … The Israeli prime minister is achieving what no one else before him did so well: he is pushing his country into utter international isolation. For some time now all the evidence has pointed to the need for Israel to experience its logic of confrontation at all levels … right to the bitter end before it realises that this is not the way out. … All we have to do is wait and watch Israel manoeuvre itself into this impasse and then out of it."

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