In today\u2019s newsletter: Th\u200bis new war has exposed widening fractures between Israel and its allies, \u200band the country finds itself increasingly out of step with global opinion<\/p>\n
Good morning. Israel may be the only country in the world where there is overwhelming public support for the conflict in Iran. Despite its impact on everyday life in the country \u2013 at least 15 people have been killed and hundreds more injured by Iranian missiles since the war started in February, and school closures and missile warnings remain routine \u2013 polling<\/a> puts support for the war at more than 90% among Jewish Israelis.
The contrast with the rest of the world is stark. Nearly a month into the fighting, polling shows<\/a> that 60% of the US public oppose the war with Iran, and just one in four backed<\/a> the initial strikes. In the Gulf, Europe and Asia, the conflict is widely unpopular, as severe economic consequences already begin to bite.
For this morning\u2019s newsletter, I asked the Guardian\u2019s chief Middle East correspondent, Emma Graham-Harrison<\/strong><\/em>, who is based in Jerusalem, about how the war with Iran is seen inside Israel<\/a> \u2013 and its consequences for prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But first, the headlines.
Middle East crisis <\/strong><\/em>| Iran dismissed a US ceasefire proposal on Wednesday and countered with a negotiation plan of its own<\/a> as intermediaries sought to keep diplomatic channels between the warring countries open.
Media <\/strong><\/em>| Matt Brittin, Google\u2019s former top executive in Europe, has been named<\/a> the BBC\u2019s next director general. Brittin will replace Tim Davie at a crucial time for the corporation.
UK politics <\/strong><\/em>| Political donations from British citizens living abroad are to be capped<\/a> at \u00a3100,000 a year, in a move that is likely to limit further funding from Reform UK\u2019s Thailand-based mega-donor, Christopher Harborne.
UK<\/strong><\/em> news <\/strong><\/em>| The former justice minister Crispin Blunt has been fined<\/a> \u00a31,200 for possessing illegal drugs after he told a court he entered the world of chemsex parties to help inform government policy.
Housing <\/strong><\/em>| People who lost their homes when a tower block in Dagenham burned down say they are being made to pay for the building\u2019s fire safety works after the government demanded its money back<\/a>.
Since the 7 October massacre in 2023, the bloodiest day for Israeli civilians in the country\u2019s history, many Jewish Israelis see themselves as under siege in a hostile world, says Emma. It is still shaping life today: many Jewish Israelis have concluded that an aggressive security policy is the only way to keep the country and loved ones safe, regardless of the international reaction to Israel\u2019s regional wars.
\u201cI think a lot of people\u2019s support for the Iran<\/a> war inside Israel is premised on the idea that the short-term suffering is to ensure long-term security, although many security experts say Israel does not have a clear strategy to turn impressive tactical achievements like killing Ali Khamenei into long-term security. At the most extreme, there is death, people are injured, there\u2019s loss and damage to property, kids haven\u2019t been going to school, there\u2019s repeatedly getting up and going to the bomb shelter at night. But there\u2019s a sense in Israel that if you suffer through this, you\u2019ll get long-term security,\u201d Emma says.
Life in Jerusalem is still restricted by the realities of war. Many are working from home, and there are restrictions on opening on everything from cafes to gyms.
\u201cPeople are very tired because you never know when the next alert is going to be. In Jerusalem, when the sirens go off, you have 90 seconds to get to a shelter. In the north, where the rockets are coming from, people have just a matter of seconds,\u201d she says.
That is if you are lucky enough to have a bomb shelter within reach. Palestinian citizens of Israel are much less likely to have access to a shelter, and are much less likely to support the war than Jewish Israelis. In the West Bank, there are no sirens, even though as an occupying military power Israel has responsibility for the civilian population. Last week, four women were killed in a beauty salon near Hebron.
Netanyahu\u2019s electoral fortunes<\/strong>
The public support for the war with Iran has not translated into a resurgence in the political fortunes of the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says Emma. The first general election since 7 October will be held later this year \u2013 with Netanyahu currently lagging behind in the polls.
\u201cThere is majority support for Netanyahu\u2019s decision to launch this war with Iran and his handling of it, even among people who do not want to give him another term. With Gaza<\/a>, polls show they didn\u2019t always think he was making decisions for security reasons. They thought his own personal considerations came into it. But on this, they trust him much more,\u201d she says.
\u201cEven so, they still don\u2019t seem to want to bring him back to office. And if his coalition doesn\u2019t get enough seats to return him to power, he\u2019s obviously very worried about it because he\u2019s on trial for corruption, and has asked Donald Trump to intervene by pushing the Israeli president, Isaac Herzog to give him a pre-emptive pardon.\u201d
Too close to Trump<\/strong>
However, some in Israel who support the war in principle are worried that by pushing to attack Iran, Netanyahu has put the country\u2019s most important diplomatic relationship in jeopardy.
\u201cMore than one of the Israeli intelligence and military officials who I spoke to about Israel\u2019s war aims said the greatest risk of the war was the long-term damage it might do to the relationship between Israel and America,\u201d Emma says.
Historically, Israel\u2019s foreign policy has been based on cultivating bipartisan ties. Netanyahu has effectively abandoned that to cultivate an extremely close relationship with Trump. US polls were already showing a decline in support for Israel before the attacks on Iran.
If this ends in way which is seen as a failure in the US, the examination of Trump\u2019s decision to go to war is likely to produce a lot more of the rhetoric we saw in the resignation<\/a> of Joe Kent, the far-right former director of the National Counterterrorism Center.
\u201cIf this war creates a situation where future American presidents, whether Democrat or Republican, don\u2019t want such a close relationship with Israel, even significant military gains might end up looking like a pyrrhic victory, because that alliance is so foundational for Israel\u201d says Emma.
Israel\u2019s isolation<\/strong>
\u201cOne thing I find striking is that if you look at the history of where Israel has found security on its borders, it reached negotiated agreements with Jordan and Egypt, once considered an existential threat as Iran is now. The unwillingness to look at those examples or even really discuss them as positive things \u2013 insisting instead that the only route to security is through military power \u2013 is really dangerous and disturbing. But you can see why it brings Trump and Netanyahu together because they want to burn through the old world order and what\u2019s left of international law \u2013 with might is right.\u201d
Even so, Emma says that most Israelis are undeterred by international criticism of the conflict, despite the growing economic toll.
\u201cIsrael might be the only place in the world where there is broad support for this war. No one else is really happy about it. The Americans certainly aren\u2019t. No one in the Gulf is. For people in Lebanon and Iran, this is horrific. Obviously ordinary Iranians, as much as they hate their government, and risked their lives to protest against it, does not mean they see US and Israeli bombs as a route to a better future. You only have to consider Iraq,\u201d Emma says.
\u201cIt is an reflection of how isolated Israel already is, something that seems likely to deepen the longer this conflict continues.\u201d
If you have young kids in your life, you\u2019ve no doubt racked up countless hours of Bluey<\/strong>. But have you ever noticed the Beethoven and Bach floating through its score? Tom Service asks<\/a> whether everyone\u2019s favourite pup could save classical music. Lucinda Everett, newsletters team<\/strong><\/em>
The toupee<\/strong> is back. Rebranded as a \u201chair system\u201d, the new designs<\/a> have managed to banish the stereotype of a strange looking patch that could blow off in the wind. Patrick<\/strong><\/em>
As Matt Brittin<\/strong> becomes the BBC\u2019s new director general, Michael Savage takes a look<\/a> at what the former Google exec has to offer, and what\u2019s in store for him. An insightful, rather-him-than-me read. Lucinda<\/strong><\/em>
In October last year, the El Fasher massacre marked one of the most brutal chapters of Sudan\u2019s civil war<\/strong>, with tens of thousands of people killed. Mark Townsend has put together the story<\/a> of those 48 hours. Patrick<\/strong><\/em>
\u201cThis is a time for radical ideas, disruptive ideas, ideas that shift the window.\u201d I enjoyed Jonathan Liew\u2019s sharp column<\/a> on why Labour must offer a lasting vision for energy security<\/strong>. Lucinda<\/strong><\/em>
Football <\/strong><\/em>| Manchester United face an uphill battle to reach the Women\u2019s Champions League semi-finals after being edged out 3-2 by Bayern Munic<\/a>h at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
London Marathon <\/strong><\/em>| The London Marathon is in advanced talks<\/a> about staging a two-day event in 2027, allowing tens of thousands more runners to take part in the iconic race and to raise tens of millions more for charity.
Athletics <\/strong><\/em>| Three runners who were led off course<\/a> in a race that served as a qualifier for the World Road Running Championships have been given entry into the upcoming competition.
\u201cIran rejects US ceasefire proposal amid attempts to keep talks alive\u201d is top story at the Guardian<\/strong>. The FT<\/strong> has \u201cKremlin bolsters Iran\u2019s war effort by shipping drone, medicines and food\u201d, \u201cTrump flies into rage as Iran rejects peace plan\u201d is the Times<\/strong> splash, while i Paper<\/strong> leads on \u201cRoyal Navy forced to borrow warship – from Germany – deepening fears on UK defences\u201d. The Telegraph<\/strong> splashes on \u201c\u00a3400m cost of savings scandal\u201d and the Mail<\/strong> says \u201cA.I. bot told teen to use a hammer to kill his mother\u201d. The Mirror<\/strong> headlines on \u201cDo your duty\u201d, in reference to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and the Sun<\/strong> asks \u201cWhy isn\u2019t Huw in jail?\u201d
Is Cuba Trump\u2019s next target?<\/strong>
The journalists Ruaridh Nicoll<\/strong> and Daniel Montero<\/strong> report from Havana as Cuba suffers from a devastating oil blockade<\/a> imposed by the US.
A bit of good news to remind you that the world\u2019s not all bad<\/em>
Often overshadowed by the Amazon, few have heard of Gran Chaco, the enormous dry forest that spans parts of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. Although it is home to extraordinary species like the jaguar, the maned wolf and the giant armadillo, it is one of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet. But now, groups of farmers and conservation groups have teamed up to help protect this mass of thorny shrubs and giant quebracho trees from rapidly expanding agricultural frontiers by setting up glamping and kayak tours<\/a> in El Impenetrable national park in Argentina.
I stayed at one of these glamping sites in 2022 while working a story about jaguar reintroductions for the Guardian. Nestled near the banks of the Bermejito river, it is one of the most magical places I have visited. In the dry season, the shrunken river is one of the best places to see wildlife including tapirs, capybaras and hundreds of bird species.
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And finally, the Guardian\u2019s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.
Martin Belam\u2019s Thursday news quiz<\/a>
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