In recent weeks, there has been a surge in editorials opining on Israel and the future of the Middle East.
The discourse has largely pointed the finger at Israel, accusing it of wasting countless opportunities to end its occupation and live in peace with its neighbors. Instead, holds the consensus, Israel expedited its colonization project in the occupied Palestinian territories, expanding illegal Jewish settlements on stolen Palestinian lands and networking them through special bypass roads and other planning projects, creating a dual system—a dominating one for Jews and a suppressive one for Palestinians. These conditions have pushed Israel further toward fascism, enshrining Jewish supremacy into its laws and extending it to all of historic Palestine, from Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. This has further enabled fanatical and far-right parties under the opportunistic leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, undermining Israel’s own institutions and all chances of peace based on coexistence between the two communities.
A large part of Israeli actions are driven by vengeance-driven tribal behavior with total disregard for basic human decency and international law. Its siege on Gaza has targeted hospitals, schools, mosques and residential buildings, all financed, armed and protected by the United States and other Western powers. Since October 2023, Israel has killed thousands of Palestinians, including children, doctors, teachers, journalists treating them as “enemy combatants.” But history shows us that occupiers start losing ground when indigenous groups coalesce, as has happened due to the intensity of the current genocide.
Adding to Israel’s concerns is a growing tilt of Western public opinion toward Palestine. This would, inevitably, encourage Western leaders to change course to safeguard their interests in the greater Middle East, as already seen from France, which has demanded Israel stop the killing of children in Gaza. Harvard University professor Noah Feldman recently argued that many progressive American Jews find it difficult to see Israel as a genuine liberal democracy, mostly because some three million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli authority with no realistic prospect of liberal rights. The International Court of Justice, meanwhile, has found Israel’s settlement policy in breach of the sixth paragraph of Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which bars Israel as the Occupying Power from deporting or transferring parts of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies.
Despite the shifting tide, however, multiple attempts to broker a ceasefire have stalled, even as the outrage mounts. The situation is likely to worsen before it gets any better; one can only hope there’s a Palestine left to rehabilitate once the world finally stands up for the fundamental rights due to every human, regardless of their origins.