The American magazine "The National Interest" quoted Weickert as saying that "no one knows how the Israeli war" on the Gaza Strip will end.
He explained, "Israeli leaders insist that this will lead to the complete elimination of Hamas, but what are the criteria for achieving this goal? And to what extent has Hamas actually been weakened?"
He pointed out that, "With recent news that Israel is about to call up an additional 60,000 troops to deploy to Gaza, and in light of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statements regarding control of the Strip, how can one expect this war to ever end?"
He continued: "Whether Israel sends 60,000 or even 100,000 troops to permanently occupy Gaza, the belief that it will succeed in governing this area while completely eliminating Hamas is unrealistic."
He added, "The Israeli army is already exhausted, and its incursion into Gaza was not as effective as the Israeli government publicly announced."
The American analyst considered that "the intensive aerial bombardment campaign launched by Israel on Gaza is not achieving its objectives," noting that "this ongoing bombardment is now threatening Israel's strategic position in the region and the world," he said.
He added, "Israel's international reputation has deteriorated sharply, and it risks becoming a pariah state in the eyes of many who see its goal as the ethnic cleansing of Gaza."
Weikert stressed that "Israel has failed to achieve its declared strategic goals since the first days of its war on Gaza."
He explained that Israel had not been able to eliminate Hamas as its leaders had threatened, and "worse still, the hostages have not all been recovered."
He continued: "However, Israel continues to bomb as if everything is happening in a vacuum."
"Invading and occupying Gaza and terrorizing its devastated Palestinian population will bring Israel neither peace nor long-term security," Weikert stressed.
