Photo courtesy of Bilbaohiria
The 83 page detailed and damning report by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands since 1967 must clear all remaining doubts on the illegality of that occupation. Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are now home for 700,000 Israeli Jews, Israeli restrictions to freedom of movement to Palestinians and forced evacuation and demolition of Palestinian homes by Israel, all intended to create “irreversible effects on the ground” are, according to the ICJ, “unlawful” and should be ended “as rapidly as possible”. The ICJ’s verdict also demolishes Israel’s long held argument that East Jerusalem had been inhabited by Jews from Biblical times. This verdict, in addition to the case brought before the court by South Africa on Israeli genocide in Gaza, also implicates the US and the UK by calling the international community not to “render aid or assistance” to Israel. Needless to point out that these two powers are the leading suppliers of weapons and funds that enable Israel to continue with its aggression, occupation and settlements. Although the ICJ’s verdict is nonbinding and Israel would certainly ignore it, the isolation of Israel at the world stage can be expected to gain a new momentum.
But the real tragedy that faces the world today is the powerlessness of international organizations such as the UN, International Criminal Court (ICC) and ICJ, which have no means to translate their decisions into action. Of what use are voluminous reports, legal pronouncements and majority resolutions if none of them could be implemented? The system of global governance and its New World Order need radical changes. That is reinforced by the invitation to Benjamin Netanyahu, a condemned war criminal and Hitler’s reincarnation, to address both chambers of the US Congress and he did it amidst 53 standing ovations. He condemned Palestinian fighters as “rapists”, “idiots” and “murderers”, all paid by Iran. No one dared to arrest and produce him before the ICC. Netanyahu’s orders to IDF to destroy every home, building and livable facility in Gaza continue to be implemented methodically; the death toll in Gaza has reached almost 40,000 of which the majority are women and children. Nearly two million Palestinians are homeless and are on the move in search of safety. This is the 21st century holocaust perpetrated by the descendants of its 20th century predecessor.
As this holocaust continues to be ignored by world powers its consequences are felt far and wide. Firstly, pro-Palestinian protests are becoming a regular feature in several parts of the world and maintaining public safety is becoming an expensive affair. Universities are leading these protests. In vain pro-Israeli governments especially in the West are trying to portray these protests as antisemitism sponsored by fundamentalist Muslim groups by deliberately ignoring the historical fact that antisemitism is the product of Christian West to start with. As Azmi Bishara argues, “The main political religious fundamentalism driving the creation of Palestinian plight was not Islamic, but Christian” (Palestine Matters of Truth and Justice, London 2022). What will happen in Paris for example during the next two weeks of the Olympic games is anyone’s guess. But monitoring the safety of every participant and team has become an expensive affair. French tax payers have to ultimately pay for this cost.
Secondly, with the entry of non-state armed groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis, escalation of the Middle East war is unavoidable. Israeli bombing of Yemeni port facilities in retaliation to drone attacks from Houthis is not going to be left unanswered and the Red Sea is increasingly becoming an unsafe route for commercial shipping. This means shipping cost is set to increase, which would be added to retail market prices paid by ordinary consumers. The Middle East War and the war in Europe are already adding to cost of living pressures even in rich countries. Escalation of the war will certainly add to this pressure. This cost-push inflation has made central banks powerless and interest rate manipulations are not the answer to solve the problem. The ultimate solution is to stop the two wars but the armaments industry in general and US Military Industrial Complex in particular with their powerful lobby in defence ministries are not going to do so. Given this deleterious impact of the poisonous nexus between wars and profit, the Midde East War is set to escalate and the global economic slowdown may turn into a recession unless the war is stopped.
But a third consequence is the one most concerning to US and Israel. This is the prospect of popular uprisings against Arab regimes as Palestinian Nakba continues. All Arab regimes are authoritarian, artificially created by imperial powers after the breakup of the Ottoman Empire. But those regimes still have to contend with domestic public opinion, which is heavily sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. “In their bids to distance domestic opinion from the Palestinian question in order to facilitate normalisation with Israel, some Arab regimes, initiated campaigns designed to reorder national and public opinion priorities. They focused on persuading their people that it was in their interest to prioritise the strategic interests of their own country … above the Arab nation and the question of Palestine” (Azmi Bishara). Thus, they have virtually washed their hands off from supporting Palestinian struggle. But when the Arab Spring broke out in 2011 many of these regimes became jittery when the US almost abandoned them. That was an opportunity for the US to exploit the situation to the advantage of Israel by almost forcing the Arab regimes one by one to normalise relations with Israel. The 2020 Abraham Accord signed between UAE and Israel and Bahrain illustrates the success of this diplomacy. Saudi Arabia too was set to sign this accord when the Middle East War broke out. It was the fear of popular protest on behalf of Palestine that made the Saudi government to employ armed soldiers to monitor this year’s Hajj pilgrimage. Similar fear prevails in Egypt too. If the war and Israeli genocide in Gaza continue, popular revolts cannot be ruled out and if a couple of these regimes are toppled Israel’s security and US interests in the Middle East would be jeopardised. It is that fear which drives the US backing of Israel and Joe Biden’s ceasefire proposal lacks any substance to a peaceful resolution. More worrisome is the prospect of a Trump victory at the coming US election, which would mean a blank cheque to Israel.
The ICJ’s verdict is nonbinding but it will add a new momentum for peace loving countries to isolate Israel and, along with Israel, its US patron will also isolate itself morally and politically, and from all the world’s people. It is significant that Hamas and Fatah have come together and agreed to form a national reconciliation government brokered by China. China’s interest in the Palestinian issue is a new variable that can add strength to Palestinian cause. One of the reasons why the US is so unflinching in its support for Israel is because it wants Israel to be its deputy sherif in the Middle East to take care of US interests. China’s entry into that region through Palestine is bound to have long term consequences. In the short term, ICJ’s verdict on Israel gives green a signal to China to come to the aid of Palestine. The situation in the Midde East is certainly going to get even more volatile.