Al-Ahram, Egypt, March 28
In current months, Israel has actually been exposing itself to the world at an amazing rate– faster than even its staunchest critics might have prepared for. Its most current scandal depends on removing away the thin, produced veneer of propaganda it has actually long utilized to emerge– specifically to its Western fans– as a serene, democratic state where the guideline of law dominates and where its leaders regard both domestic and worldwide legal standards. Nevertheless, the truth that has actually unfolded given that its ruthless attack on Gaza in October 2023 has actually shattered this impression piece by piece.
With each passing day, Israel’s actions have actually laid bare its utter neglect for worldwide law, as it continues to dedicate outright war criminal activities while brazenly defying judgments from the 2 most popular United Nations-affiliated courts: the International Court of Justice and the International Bad Guy Court.
Simply as its protectors had a hard time to recuperate from this shock– not able to validate or excuse its outright infractions– the Netanyahu federal government intensified its defiance even more by freely encountering Israel’s own Supreme Court. It responded with fury when the court froze the federal government’s choice to dismiss the head of Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security company, pending a judgment on an appeal versus the termination. Not stopping there, Netanyahu’s union then introduced a brand-new fight to oust the federal government’s attorney general of the United States.
Possibly much more worrying is that Netanyahu’s federal government does not deal with any instant political hazard. It currently holds a parliamentary bulk that lawfully guarantees its grip on power. Additionally, its position in the Knesset has actually just reinforced with the return of the extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his faction, whose votes now supply Netanyahu’s union with even higher stability, permitting it to press through essentially any policy it desires.
When it comes to the mass demonstrations versus the federal government, it is necessary to acknowledge that they are not driven by ethical opposition to the war or by any outrage over the suffering of Palestinian civilians. Rather, the sole need of the demonstrators is the return of Israeli captives from Gaza. Their only argument with Netanyahu’s federal government is over the seriousness of this goal; they reveal no opposition to their nation’s continuous war criminal activities versus helpless Palestinian civilians.
Unlike much of the world, they do not recoil at the killing of Palestinian babies. They do not knock the purposeful deprivation of food, water, medication, and electrical power to a currently besieged population. They do not condemn the Israeli army’s continuous criminal activities in the West Bank, its attacks on Lebanon and Syria, its justifications versus Iran, or its attacks on UN organizations, reporters, medical workers, artists, and even Oscar winners. This truth highlights not just the aggressive and expansionist nature of the Israeli federal government however likewise the larger social complicity in its policies. For any genuinely complimentary press in the West, this minute provides a vital chance to expose Israel’s real character, unfiltered and indisputable.
Ahmed Abdel-Tawwab (equated by Asaf Zilberfarb)