NOTHING seems to make Israel stop its murderous spree and war crimes in Gaza. Besides killing and injuring thousands, Israeli military operations have impeded humanitarian access, pushing Gaza to the brink of famine.

On May 20, the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor applied for warrants to arrest senior members of the Israeli and Hamas leadership. Tel Aviv termed the move “disgraceful”, while President Biden called it “outrageous”. Twelve Republican US senators wrote a threatening letter to the ICC that if “you target Israel, we will target you”.

On May 24, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its offensive in Rafah. South Africa had brought this case before the ICJ, accusing Israel of subjecting the Palestinians to a genocide. Israel refused to accept the order. Instead, it carried out deadly air strikes (May 26) against Palestinians, killing 45 and injuring over 100.

On May 29, Algeria, on behalf of the Arab states, circulated a proposed resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. While most countries welcomed the Algerian initiative, the US lost no time in vetoing it, while the UK abstained.

Why is Israel rejecting every call to stop its killing spree?

Despite the recent ICJ orders, and an earlier call by 153 member states of the UN General Assembly in December 2023, Israel continues to defy demands to protect civilians and uphold humanitarian obligations in Gaza. Israel’s daily assaults have demonstrated that there is no longer any rules-based international order. The spirit of multilateralism and respect for human rights have been battered by the ongoing relentless show of unilateralism in Gaza.

Why is Israel rejecting every call to stop its killing spree? One obvious reason is the unending support it receives from the US and some European countries. These countries have often lectured the world on the sanctity of human rights, yet they are reluctant to condemn what Israel’s military is doing to defenceless civilians. The double standards of these champions of human rights have been exposed.

Yet, one is encouraged to see how the people in the US and Europe have come out to condemn the excessive use of force by Israel. Special tribute must be paid to the students of leading universities in the US, who have risked their academic careers but have not stepped back from voicing their support for the oppressed. Some European governments are now responding to the calls of their people. Spain, Ireland, and Norway have announced formal recognition of the state of Palestine. Several others had already done so, including Sweden, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria. The UK and Australia are also considering recognition.

Sadly, the Muslim world has not been able to exert enough pressure on Israel to stop its atrocities in Gaza. Iran, however, has emerged as a country that has demonstrated its capability to give a punishing response to Israeli aggression while avoiding a wider war.

What is Israel’s endgame? Some analysts argue that Israel would like to see all Gazans pushed into Egypt via the Rafah crossing so that its cherished goal of a Greater Israel can be fulfilled. Others opine that Israel will continue its war until Hamas has been destroyed — for that it enjoys complete American support. Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina, was seen recently writing ‘Finish them’ on an artillery shell in Israel.

Clearly, the key to ending the war in Gaza is in the hands of the US. However, the Israel lobby in the US is so strong that the government is unable to stop Tel Aviv from what it is doing to innocent civilia­­ns. John Mear­sh­e­imer of the Univ­ersity of Chicago and Stephen Walt of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Govern­ment wrote a book in 2007 titled The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy that describes how this lobby nudges US foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction, which in their view is not in America’s national interest and not even in Israel’s long-term interest.

Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu is becoming increasingly unpopular in his own country as well. In a poll conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute recently, only 15 per cent of respondents wanted Netanyahu to continue in office after the war in Gaza ends. There is also the financial stress that this war is inflicting on Israel’s economy. International opinion is fast developing against Israel. Netanyahu and his cohorts will soon discover that Israel cannot buy peace for itself by making others insecure. He would be well-advised to remember what Albert Einstein said: “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”

The writer is a former foreign secretary and chairman of Sanober Institute, an independent, non-profit think tank in Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2024