Israel's actions in Gaza is testing the limits of the international system
Netanyahu has prolonged this indiscriminate military operation without any post-war strategy, ignoring the international community and UN motions
The ongoing asymmetric war in Gaza has been the deadliest on several counts. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), where arguably 90% were civilians, of which 70% were women and children. According to the United Nations (UN), at least 224 humanitarian aid workers and 142 journalists have also been killed by Israel.
In the early months of the war, nearly 1.5 million Palestinians left Gaza to take shelter in Rafah, as it was touted as a safe place. Rafah has been an important conduit for humanitarian aid to Gaza. But on 7 May, Israel began their Rafah offensive, drawing further criticism from the international community.
Israel's most important allies, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have already warned the Israeli government that conducting a large-scale military operation in Rafah is the red line. President Biden has announced that he will halt shipments of weapons to Israel, mentioning that American weapons have killed innocent people in Gaza.
By continuing the offensive, Israel's ultra-right-wing current government is alienating Israel from its allies and the rest of the world, thus risking Israel's long-term security.
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Two weeks ago the ceasefire negotiation involving Egypt, Qatar, CIA, Hamas and Israel didn't succeed as an "irreconcilable" gap emerged between Israel and Hamas.
Netanyahu has prolonged this indiscriminate military operation without any post-war strategy, ignoring the international community and UN motions, and breaking international humanitarian laws, setting a dangerous precedent.
Democratic countries like Israel shouldn't be allowed to act with such impunity. When Shireen Abu Akleh, an American national and Al-Jazeera journalist, was killed by Israel in 2022, the Biden administration should have held Israel accountable. All countries should be held to the same standards when it comes to upholding human rights and international humanitarian laws.
Many countries in the Global South believe that the USA, UK and EU have allowed Israel to act with impunity for too long. The USA and its European allies, including the UK and France, have started sanctioning illegal settlers in the West Bank. That's a praise-worthy initiative but isn't it too little too late?
This issue has been a constant polarising and divisive topic in Western society.
Recently, twelve prominent Republican senators wrote to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court threatening them with sanctions for the ongoing genocide case against Israel at the ICJ. The Biden administration criticised the Republican senators. Any form of political interference with a judicial system and threatening judges and prosecutors is outrageous behaviour.
At the same time, the recent Palestine encampment in universities across the USA and the continuous rallies in the streets of London, New York and other cities is a fine example of how passionate people feel about this issue. Biden's re-election prospects can be seriously jeopardised if this war continues in this manner.
A prosperous Palestine where the Palestinian people are able to lead an independent and dignified life is a cornerstone of Israel's long-term security.
For the sake of both Palestinian and Israeli people, it is important Israel agrees on a ceasefire deal as swiftly as possible. Israel should no longer be given leeway when it comes to following international humanitarian laws.
Adnan Pavel is a political commentator based in the UK.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.
