The horrific destruction of Palestinians in Gaza by brutal IDF soldiers is in its ninth month. During this time, the Israelis have committed all imaginable and unimaginable crimes of a military nature, against humanity and against the financial and economic situation of the Palestinians. If the current government – and Netanyahu himself – persist in their harsh tactics in Gaza, Israel’s security crisis could become irreparable, raising critical questions about the future existence of the state.
Seeing as this bloodbath will continue in the future, as Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed, the whole world not only strongly condemns Israel, but also exposes it to ostracism and an unprecedented level of isolation on the world stage. With the exception of the Biden administration and several European countries, there is no open support for Israel’s aggressive policy. This isolation, both global and regional, does not enhance Israel’s security whatsoever. Moreover, after the events of October 7, Israel, which is responsible for the deaths of about 40,000 people (70% of whom are women, elderly and children), is now entering a dangerous phase when it must take responsibility for the bloody consequences of its actions. Such an assessment means a deep security crisis, not only for the state itself, but also for the wider Jewish community.
Israel’s bloody crimes
Israel’s crimes, committed throughout its existence and especially over the past two decades, have squashed all hopes for a political settlement. The policy of apartheid not only destroyed any semblance of Palestinian territorial integrity, but also extended military-backed Israeli settlements to every inch of remaining Palestinian land. Moreover, Israel’s decision to turn Gaza into an “open-air prison” (at best) or, more precisely, a “concentration camp” has exacerbated a long-standing injustice.
Apart from Israel’s brutal policy of occupation, the more important issue is, perhaps, Tel Aviv’s persisting denial of the Palestinian presence itself in any context that could potentially disturb the existing status quo. It has become a prevailing cliché in US and Israeli political circles that Palestinians, especially armed Palestinian groups, deny “Israel’s right to exist”. For those who live in the occupied territories, this rhetoric serves as a means of verbal resistance. But for Israel, this is not limited to rhetoric; it is a daily ritual of denial. Until Israel comes to terms with the existence of Palestinians and gives them due recognition, a political or military solution to the ongoing crisis will remain elusive.
USA’s participation in Israeli crimes
The US provided billions of dollars in military and economic aid to Israel annually before the Gaza War, and continued to fund Israel’s ruthless military operations and settlement policies during the Gaza War. The US openly condones violations of international law, defends Israel in every possible way in the UN Security Council, and constantly blocks the adoption of resolutions on sanctions. So far, this situation has led to Israeli actions violating international law going unpunished. This position of the US played a decisive role in that Israel continued to violate international law and the rights of Palestinians.
One of the most dangerous points in the system of transferring weapons to Israel from US Department of Defence stockpiles is the lack of strict supervision and transparency. So, in April 2024, as the online magazine of US analytical centre ‘Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft’ notes, cost restrictions on the transportation of US weapons to special reserve warehouses in Israel (WRSA-I) were legally lifted, which actually led to Congress losing control over military supplies. It is quite obvious that in the absence of legislative deterrence, the current situation may lead to an uncontrollable increase in military support for Tel Aviv.
International human rights organisations have already documented several cases where US-supplied weapons were used by Israeli forces in operations that resulted in significant civilian casualties and violations of international humanitarian law. There is no doubt that the lack of mechanisms for supervision will lead to a regional escalation and an arms race, which undermines peace initiatives promoted by international mediators.
The US administration manipulated public opinion through the media to legitimise Israel’s actions and define the Palestinian resistance as terrorism. For many years, this propaganda has prevented the international community from developing a realistic and fair view of the Palestinian issue. However, current social networks devalue and cast aside to the annals of history the classic methods of shaping public opinion, which were developed by the main media channels after many years of huge investment costs on the part of the West.
It is rather obvious that it is becoming increasingly difficult to support Israel’s aggression against Palestine. It is no longer possible for the humanitarian aspects of the deepening crisis to escape the attention of the international community. US military and economic assistance to Israel is becoming more visible, and media manipulation and public opinion are becoming increasingly ineffective. The Israeli genocide against the Palestinians has been exposed and the inhumane aspect of the conflict began to disturb the conscience of mankind, becoming the main topic of discussion at numerous forums.
Difficult paths to solving the Palestinian issue
By destroying all conceivable paths to a two-state solution, Israel has consolidated its status as an apartheid state. The Palestinians have, quite frankly, been overlooked politically, as individuals and as an urgent political dilemma. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called them “human animals” and called for a “complete blockade” of Gaza.
The confusion within Israel’s internal political consciousness, the obvious crisis and even the political bankruptcy of the unelected Palestinian Authority, the lack of tools and experience for Hamas to transform its armed presence into an inclusive political education for all Palestinians and a legitimate partner for the whole world, decades-long wars and the crisis of democracy in the countries of the region, US ideological and theological attachment to Israel (which immediately removes it from the list of possible mediators), as well as the geopolitical insignificance of Europe – all of this is more than enough to run the current crisis into a dead end. Let us add that the crisis is currently at this dead end.
Firstly, the Palestinians must recognise that, although the hardships they have endured for decades may not end in the near future, there is potential for change and a new era after the war. It would be a grave mistake to reduce recent events to the Gaza issue or simply to a method of prisoner exchange, an unreliable security agreement with Israel or other temporary solutions. The Palestinians have unequivocally proved their existence to the world; especially to Israel, the US and the countries of the region, though it has cost colossal human sacrifice. In order to prevent the perpetuation of the tragic civilian deaths in Israel and Gaza and to revive hopes for a settlement, Palestinian factions urgently need a new national political perspective and leadership.
In examining the reaction of Washington and Europe to the ongoing crisis, we find little reason for optimism. Moreover, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s comment about ‘coming to Israel as a Jew’ against the background of staunch US ideological and military support looks like an ill-considered remark highlighting ethnic and religious differences. This is of particular concern, given that Washington’s Middle East policy is largely focused on Israel, which increases the danger of aligning global policy with Israeli-oriented US geopolitics. The potential of the USA and Europe to play a significant role in the geopolitics of the Middle East depends on their ability to go beyond Israeli attempts to reduce the events of October 7 to simple repression.
Were one to continue analysing the situation in the Middle East and, above all, Palestinian-Israeli relations, then it should be said that both Israelis and Palestinians should change their policies and act – no matter how difficult it may be for them – bring the two peoples closer, find common ground and come to the negotiating table. The Palestinian issue cannot be resolved militarily, no matter how much the current extreme Netanyahu government would like it. That is why the current Israeli Government should resign and leave it to others to find common solutions.
Victor MIKHIN, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, especially for online magazine «New Eastern Outlook»