Former US Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chas Freeman has questioned Israel's long-term strategy, arguing that continued reliance on military power and foreign support may not offer a sustainable path for the country.
The remarks were cited by Glenn Diesen and reported in a post on X by Clash Report.
Freeman said there were growing concerns within Israel about the country's long-term prospects. He also drew comparisons between Israel's situation and the Christian Crusader kingdoms that were established in the region centuries ago.
“The atrocities being committed in the West Bank horrify decent Israelis, quite a few of them,” Freeman said, adding that the views of Israeli citizens were not necessarily reflected by the country's military.
ALSO READ | Israel Has 'No Interest' In Escalating Tensions With Turkiye, Rules Out Turkish Bases In Syria
He argued that Israel “has no strategy for survival in the long term” and said military strength alone could not provide lasting security.
“It assumes that it can always live by pointing a gun at everyone else, and this is not a survival strategy by any standard,” Freeman said.
According to Freeman, there are now “grave doubts in Israel about its longevity as a state”. He said the concerns were increasingly being compared with the history of the Christian Crusader kingdoms, which were established in the region around 800-900 years ago.
“More and more one hears analogies to the Christian Crusader kingdoms that were established nine hundred, eight hundred years ago, which lasted about a hundred years or less,” he said.
Freeman said the comparison was linked to what he described as the diminishing foreign support that had been important to the survival of those kingdoms, as well as their inability to establish lasting peace with neighbouring Muslim and Christian communities.
He suggested that similar challenges could weigh on Israel if it remains dependent on military power while struggling to build peaceful relations with its neighbours.
ALSO READ | 'Dangerous Escalation': UAE, Saudi Arabia, Six Others Warn Israel's 'E1' Plan Threatens Two-State Solution
“This is a story that is not over, and it does not necessarily have a happy ending for Zionism,” he said.
Freeman's comments come against the backdrop of the fallout from the Iran war and wider regional tensions, which have renewed debate over Israel's security strategy, international support and long-term position in the Middle East.
Freeman served as US ambassador to Saudi Arabia from 1991 to 1992 and has held several senior diplomatic and policy positions in the United States.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.