Beyond its rhetorical punch, “Super-Sparta” reflects a striking misreading of history and a troubling projection of Israel’s future. Netanyahu’s invocation of both Athens and Sparta is curious, since the two were not complementary but antagonistic models. Ancient Sparta, like biblical Israel, justified its very presence on its land through what historians call charter myths. Netanyahu presents Israel, like Sparta, as a besieged country surrounded by enemies and forced into perpetual defense. But history suggests that those who choose the Spartan path, however proudly, ultimately find themselves weaker, not stronger.