Struggle for Palestine: Israel Faces Isolation

Consequently, a scandal of unprecedented scale followed on the international stage from Israel’s perspective: the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for both Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Galant, who said that ‘Palestinians are human animals’. This development signifies a growing isolation of the Israeli government, whose prestige has plummeted. Even the German government has stated it would be willing to arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot on German soil. While Israelis feel they are being treated unjustly, calls for a tougher stance against the Zionist regime in Tel Aviv are growing, not only in the Muslim world but also across Europe.

The latest reason for this is Israel’s recent offensive in the Gaza Strip, targeting the city of Rafah. The city, previously declared a safe zone by the Israeli army, is located on the border with Egypt and has gathered more than 1,000,000 Palestinian refugees in addition to its 250,000 residents. International observers fear that the Israeli army might use the presence of Palestinian fighters as a pretext to continue its genocide, cynically referred to as ‘mowing the lawn’ by the Zionists and their brutalised soldiers.

An increasing number of European countries are recognising Palestine as a state. Previously, this recognition was seen as a reward for ceasing hostilities against Israel, but the strategy has changed under the impact of Israeli massacres. Norway, Spain, Slovenia, and Ireland have now acknowledged Palestine as a state. While this might not have immediate direct consequences for Tel Aviv, a threat is slowly emerging: Washington has for the first time suggested it may cease supplying weapons to Israel, while Turkey has severed all trade relations with the self-declared Jewish state. A halt in arms deliveries would be particularly damaging to Israel; between 2013 and 2023, the US alone accounted for 65.9% of all weapons sold to Israel, followed by the Federal Republic of Germany with 29.7%.

All of this could force Israel into a two-state solution and an end to its settler colonialism in the West Bank. However, this would be a nightmare for Israel’s chauvinistic right, which has actively pursued a greater Israel solution that encompasses all Palestinian territories since the 1980s, a solution that is impossible without the genocide of Palestinians. Nevertheless, Palestinians stubbornly refuse to give up their land and instead return to their devastated areas rather than flee to Egypt. Meanwhile, Cairo has announced it is seriously considering terminating the peace treaty with Tel Aviv — though so far Egypt’s support for the Palestinians has amounted to little more than empty words.

Despite Israel’s massive military superiority, the Palestinians are holding firm. Israel has now launched its operation in Rafah, where Hamas is resisting, but Palestinian fighters are repeatedly attacking Israeli troops in the north and centre of the Gaza Strip, meaning Israel cannot claim control of these areas. The Palestinians are conducting a guerrilla war from extensive tunnel systems they have been preparing for years. This has military repercussions: the IDF has been forced to increase the number of mobilised soldiers from 300,000 to 350,000, further straining Israel’s economy. In the north of the country, near the Lebanese border, there are daily skirmishes with Hezbollah and rocket attacks on Israeli settlements. It is estimated that more than 200,000 Israelis have left the northern region on the advice of their own government and sought refuge in camps. Meanwhile, the Houthis in Yemen continue to blockade the Red Sea and have for the first time launched a missile at Israel — more are expected to follow. The hostage crisis remains unresolved, with more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas. The opposition in Israel suspects that Netanyahu is indifferent to their fate because most of them are left-leaning kibbutz residents, part of the old left-wing Zionist elite that has been politically at odds with Israel’s right-wing, Americanised elite since the 1980s.

Ultimately, the international isolation only heightens Netanyahu’s paranoia: his mantra ‘Israel stands alone’ seems to be becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Netanyahu knows that his days are numbered once peace is achieved — hence his apparent desire for an unending war, with recent rumours of an invasion of Lebanon fitting this pattern. However, the call for a peace plan from his coalition partners has consequences: coalition partner Benny Gantz, who is leading in the polls over Netanyahu, announced his withdrawal from the government coalition. He is calling for new elections to enable peace for Israel. Just a few hours earlier, the commander of the Gaza Division, Avi Rosenfeld, had resigned, citing personal failure in the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023. It is to be hoped that Netanyahu will also finally take responsibility and pave the way for lasting peace in the Middle East.