Over 34,000 people are dead, i.e., nearly 33,000 Palestinians, 1,200 Israelis, 97 journalists and media workers, and hundreds of aid workers. Most of the Israeli casualties were the result of the attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023. And over 100 hostages still remain unaccounted for. However, the Israeli attack that has followed since that day of terror, is one of the worst in humanity. The tragedy is playing out on live broadcast and people cannot plead ignorance. It is important to remember that the conflict did not start on October 7.
There has been growing criticism of Israel for this massacre, but its western allies are equally culpable, most notably the United States.
Hypocrisy of neutrality
Historically, the U.S. has been the primary supporter of Israeli statehood. It was the first country to recognise it. The U.S. has helped Israel’s survival in an extremely hostile neighbourhood. Superficially, it has led efforts for the two-state solution following the 1973 Arab-Israel war in various forms including U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s Camp David talks, Bill Clinton’s Parameters for the two-state solution, George Bush’s Road Map to Peace, and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s Six Principles.
The U.S. may act as a neutral arbiter but has been the force behind Israel’s settler colonialism. It has regularly vetoed to protect Israel from UNSC resolutions claiming the UN, an organisation designed and dominated by the U.S. and its allies, is biased against the Jewish state. The U.S. is Israel’s largest trading partner and its aid contributes to 16% of Israel’s military expenditure. The Arab-Israel ties normalisation drive, often brokered by America, has gradually removed the Palestinian cause from Arab politics. If Israeli settler colonialism is a monster, then the U.S. is Dr. Frankenstein.
The American hypocrisy of neutrality was most visible in President Donald Trump’s ‘Peace to Prosperity’ plan, a brainchild of Jared Kushner, which proposed to further take away land from the Palestinians, hand Jerusalem to Israel, and failed to provide Palestinians with the right to return or have a military defence after statehood. It was a completely pro-Israel plan and rightly rejected by the Palestinian Authority.
Under the Biden administration
Under the Biden administration, U.S.-Israel relations have been relatively low due to Benjamin Netanyahu’s attack on the judiciary, the coalition with the far right, and the attack on the Al Aqsa mosque. But the work on the Abraham Accords continued and the fundamentals of Israel-U.S. ties remained strong. Therefore, it was no surprise that Joe Biden in his October 10, 2023 address (“Remarks by President Biden on the Terrorist Attacks in Israel”) stated that ‘the United States has Israel’s back’.
Despite domestic fiscal pressure, Mr. Biden has bankrolled Israel’s war on Gaza. The U.S. is also at the forefront of rallying western allies such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and France behind Israel’s right to defend itself while fuelling a live genocide. It blocked a resolution for a humanitarian pause early on in the crisis. The administration even bypassed the Congress to allow weapons sales to Israel. But Israel’s near absolute destruction of Gaza and a possible full-scale invasion of Rafah are testing the American limits as well.
Mr. Biden is facing pressure from within the Democratic party which is pushing for a ceasefire, provision of aid for the Palestinians, and conditioning support to Israel. There is a growing rift between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Biden when it comes to the course of action in the coming weeks. The U.S. also abstained from voting on a UNSC resolution calling for a ceasefire.
The Houthis’ disruption of Bab el-Mandeb and Iran’s retaliation after the Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus can have a domino effect. The unwillingness of the West to influence Israel may lead the states to sleepwalk into a region-wide violent conflict.
The domestic factors are equally important in understanding Mr. Biden’s policy. With the upcoming election, the Trump campaign will pursue grandstanding with an eye on the American Jewish community and the Evangelical Christians. Mr. Biden, keen to build a broad voter base, may end in brinkmanship with Mr. Trump. There is only one winner in that contest.
On true leadership
The people, like the students in Columbia, have shown more spine than the American leadership. A case has even been filed against the Biden administration in court for its complicity in the genocide. Globally, countries such as South Africa and Bangladesh have shown true Global South leadership, unlike the states that merely seek the title. In a painful irony, it is not the murder of over 25,000 women and children but the death of seven World Central Kitchen workers that shook the American leadership. This grim reality underscores a perennial truth in global politics: all lives are equal, but some are more equal than others.
Despite its unique position to influence peace, the U.S. continues to play a paradoxical role, simultaneously capable of ending violence and perpetuating the status quo, as evidenced by its recent veto against full recognition of Palestine. As the world watches, Israel’s war on Gaza serves as a brutal reminder of the high costs of geopolitical manoeuvres and the real-world impact of normless international diplomacy.
Chetan Rana is an Associate Editor at 9DASHLINE and a PhD Candidate (Diplomacy and Disarmament) at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Twitter: @ChetanRana96 | LinkedIn
