How Israel will soon become a liability for its allies

Hamas or Netanyahu's government cannot solely be blamed for the recent killings of Palestinians and Israelis; Western hands are also stained with blood. However, it is true that on October 7, Palestinian fighters launched an attack on Israeli settlements near the Gaza Strip. But this attack did not start from any specific place, nor was there any prior warning. Israel claims that it did not provoke the attack, but how believable that is remains uncertain. Western governments are well aware of how much the Palestinians in Gaza have been provoked. These governments have been supporting Israel’s decades-long ethnic cleansing campaigns against the Palestinians.

Western governments have been complicit in the expulsion of Palestinians from their homeland and the confinement of those who remain in their settlements. They have been aware of these crimes for a long time. Through confidential cables from embassy officials and numerous reports from human rights organizations, they have been informed about Israel’s actions as a racist state. To this day, Western politicians have done nothing to stop Israel’s aggression. Leading international human rights organizations and healthcare providers published three separate reports in December last year, revealing the horrific scenes of Israeli genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

To be more precise, what was previously visibly clear has now been confirmed: for the past 14 months, Israel has been indiscriminately killing thousands of Palestinians with military weapons. At the same time, it has gradually pushed them to death by starvation, even denying them access to medical treatment. Genocide can be committed through poisonous gas chambers or knives, or even by dropping 2,000-pound bombs or cutting off aid. Regardless of how the genocide occurs, its aim is to eradicate a population. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are in agreement that this is precisely what Israel is attempting to do. The country has not hidden its intent, and the evidence is clear from its actions in this regard. Those who remain willfully blind to this reality continue to ignore it, including Western politicians and their allied media. More concerning than ignorance is the fact that they are providing Israel with the necessary weapons, intelligence, and diplomatic support for this heinous crime against humanity. In the last week of the previous year, MSF published a report titled "The Life in the Death Trap of Gaza."

According to the report, MSF observed that "the violence of the Israeli forces has physically and mentally harmed the people of Gaza to such an extent that recovery through medical treatment is extremely difficult. Israel has destroyed the health system over the course of a 17-year-long blockade." MSF further stated that if Israel were to stop its attacks today, it would be nearly impossible to estimate how long it would take for the people of Gaza to recover, considering the extent of the destruction.

Following MSF's 185-page observation, a report from Human Rights Watch was released, concluding that Israel is committing acts of genocide. The report highlighted that Israel has systematically deprived Gaza’s population of access to water. Through this deliberate action, genocide has been carried out. Lama Fakih, the Middle East Director of Human Rights Watch, stated that their research has proven that Israel is intentionally killing the people of Gaza by withholding the essential resource of water. Israel has done this through four coordinated measures: it has shut off the pipeline that supplies water from outside Gaza, and then cut the electricity to Gaza’s own wells and plants, preventing the pumping of water to its people.

Israel has even destroyed solar panels, which served as an alternative source of electricity, and killed the last remaining crews working to repair power lines and provide water supplies. Bill Van Esveld, the Acting Director for Israel and Palestine at Human Rights Watch (HRW), stated, "Israel has adopted a policy of blocking all access to water for the people of Gaza." He added that this clearly indicates Israel’s attempt at ethnic elimination. This sentiment is echoed in a comprehensive report by the world-renowned international human rights organization, Amnesty International. In its 296-page report, released in early December, Amnesty concluded that Israel is relentlessly and indiscriminately committing genocide in Gaza, with visual evidence presented to further substantiate this claim.

Amnesty’s research, conducted in July—nearly five months ago—was followed by intensified destruction by Israel in northern Gaza to forcefully evict residents from the area. Despite this, Amnesty continued to describe Israel’s actions, stating that Israel systematically obstructed humanitarian aid and electricity supply, and launched an overwhelming number of explosive devices in Gaza, similar in scale to more than two nuclear bomb detonations. As a result, Gaza’s water, sewage, food, and healthcare systems have collapsed. The extent of the attacks was so extreme that Amnesty particularly noted it as unparalleled in speed, death toll, and devastation compared to any other conflict in the 21st century. Amnesty stated that Israel’s destruction in Rafah in May was clear evidence of its genocidal intent.

Even the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the world’s highest court, had warned Israel against attacking Rafah; however, Israel ignored this warning. There is a need to stop the threats that force the Middle East into accepting yet another Pax Americana (the post-World War II peace agreement led by the United States). The expectation from the West is that Palestinians will silently endure their suffering. This is because when Palestinians raise their voices in protest, it risks exposing to the public of Western countries how fraudulent the so-called "rules-based international order" upheld by Western leaders actually is. This is now the key issue at hand.

Various political commentators and leaders have already labeled Israel as a burden to its Western allies, stating that Israeli leaders have lost their way. In this context, the question arises: is it not time to officially declare Israel a rogue state? The label of "rogue state" carries a sordid history. It has been used as a weapon to undermine countries that have stood against Western interests. With the unconditional support and backing of the United States, Israel has indeed become a true rogue state. However, countries like Canada, the Netherlands, Japan, Spain, and Belgium have suspended arms sales to Tel Aviv due to Israel's actions.

This indicates that influential nations are beginning to acknowledge Israel's rogue behavior. It seems that it is becoming increasingly likely that Israel will soon become an unbearable burden to its allies, including the United States. This could potentially open the path for Palestinian liberation.

Rayhan Ahmed Tapader: Researcher and Columnist