Can Washington sway the hawks in Israel and Iran?

These days, the Biden administration is trying to persuade Iran to limit its attacks on Israel. However, it's impossible to overlook the incentivizing role played by the administration's unlimited support for the Netanyahu government thus far.

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Can Washington sway the hawks in Israel and Iran
Why does the West support Israel

Why does the West support Israel?

Most Western countries have given unconditional support to Israel for its genocidal acts over the last 10 months. Western countries not only support the Israeli government economically and politically but also militarily. On the one hand, Western governments provide weapons to Israel to continue its genocidal attacks against the Palestinian people. In other words, they are directly involved in the asymmetric war in Palestine.

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Israel has committed every act against Palestinians that history deems a crime. It has massacred children, women and the elderly. It left survivors hungry and thirsty. It committed genocide before the eyes of the world. It attacked other countries' lands and bombed embassies. It has been found guilty of crimes against humanity and war crimes by the highest international courts.

After the Oct. 7 attacks organized by Hamas against Israeli targets and Israel’s harsh reaction and genocidal policies have shown that the Western global powers, who have been intervening in the domestic affairs of other nations in the name of modernism, human rights and democracy for decades, are heavily dependent on the pro-Israeli lobby. Most so-called liberal Western states have abandoned their longtime liberal claims for the sake of Israeli interests. By mobilizing all of their resources, they have been supporting authoritarian regimes in the region, violating basic human rights and committing war crimes.

The applause for a leader who has officially killed over 39,000 people since Oct. 7 has gone down in history as a significant stain on humanity for those applauding.

The comprehensive and effective attack launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the al-Aqsa Flood Operation, has become a turning point not only in the Palestinian-Israeli question and the Middle Eastern balance of power but also in modern world history.

The new West vs. the new world

It seems that Western governments are determined not to take any action to stop Israel’s persistent attacks against the Palestinian people. People both in the West and non-Western states have continued to question Western governments’ policies for the last several months. Considering that the West had been championing humanitarian values and global norms until very recently, it is an unexpected turn on the side of Western governments, who have begun to fail in protecting liberal values. Neither the United States nor the European Union have raised their voice to stop the attacks against Gaza. The West has largely remained silent against the longtime suffering of the Palestinian people.

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The new West vs the new world
Hell on earth

Hell on earth...

"The images from last night are proof of how Rafah has turned into hell on earth." These words come from UN High Commissioner for Refugees Philippe Lazarini. I can hardly describe the hellish scenes created by Israel bombing the tents in Rafah, which it had declared a safe zone for Palestinians. It’s more accurate to call it the point where words fail. This attack, following the International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor seeking arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, and the International Court of Justice ordering Israel to halt its operations in Rafah, clearly shows that the Israeli government disregards concepts like rights, law, justice, or international legitimacy. The Netanyahu administration, backed by Washington, continues to massacre innocent Palestinians, showing it acknowledges no authority.

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The independence of the State of Palestine was declared as a “state in exile” by Yasser Arafat in Algeria on Nov. 15, 1988. The political actors who declared the state were not controlling the Palestinian lands. Although Palestine was defined under the conditions before the Six-Day War in 1967, in line with the decisions made by the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly, all of its territory continued to remain de facto under Israeli occupation. For this reason, the concept of the State of Palestine is generally used geographically for the “occupied Palestinian lands.” As of today, more than 5 million people still live in the “occupied Palestinian territories.”

International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity. If the judges approve Khan's request, it will be the first time in the court's history that such a decision is made against political leaders of a U.S. ally. American politicians from both parties have previously lobbied against a potential arrest warrant, even threatening sanctions against ICC members and their families. Despite these pressures, the Prosecutor's decision to pursue arrest warrants presents a significant test for Western countries, especially the U.S., as they risk losing their role as defenders of international law and order to other actors.

What was the post-Oct. 7 stance of Western thinkers and intellectuals? Why does the Western intellectual world ignore Palestine? Why have thinkers, who believe the Palestinians are right and support them, become targets of ‘lynching’?

This study presents the relevant parts of international law before engaging in a legal assessment of Israel’s actions in Gaza.