Afrasianet - Wissam Abu Shamala - Despite Israel's traditional support from major Western powers, its practices during the war on Gaza weakened its international standing and presented it with new challenges.
International arguments on the platform of the International Court of Justice in The Hague reveal a controversy this week, which is expected to lead to the court issuing an advisory decision on the Israeli government's failure to abide by international law and causing starvation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by preventing the entry of humanitarian aid and closing the crossings, which reinforces the path of increasing global isolation of Israel.
Despite the traditional support that Israel enjoys from major Western countries, its practices during the war on Gaza weakened its international standing and put it in front of new challenges that threaten to gradually turn it into a pariah "state", reflected in many evidences and events at the popular, legal and diplomatic levels.
At the level of the global popular movement in support of the Palestinian cause and against Israel's policies and crimes in the Gaza Strip, the majority of the world, especially Western countries, witnessed a wide popular movement in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and the wide student movement emerged in American and European universities, several months ago, where students and professors led wide movements demanding an end to the war of extermination against Palestinian civilians, and this popular movement was characterized by its great momentum and unprecedented breadth, but it faced severe repression from pro-Israel parties and was used Multiple means to contain it, which reached its peak after Donald Trump assumed the US presidency, including the start of cutting funding to universities and research centers that support the student movement, in addition to media defamation campaigns and targeting activists personally, with accusations of anti-Semitism as a means of criminalizing their activity, which led to a number of decisions to deport and deport students outside the United States, and despite the relative impact of pressure, repressive practices and psychological terrorism on the effectiveness of the movement, its continuation and escalation, but the latent anger towards Israel He survived, especially among young people.
At the legal and political levels, the exceptional and unprecedented legal event, represented by the issuance of arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Galant, on charges of war crimes, which continue to cast a political and diplomatic shadow on Israel, and prevent the comfortable movement enjoyed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his visits around the Western world, and his plane is not allowed to fly in the airspace of countries Members of the International Criminal Court, and recently resorted to visiting the State of Hungary, which is considered at the bottom of European countries in terms of power and influence, and which is subject to legal accountability from the International Criminal Court because it is a member of it and violated the laws despite its decision to withdraw from the court during Netanyahu's visit to it, which reflects the great political and diplomatic embarrassment to "Israel", and a number of Israeli occupation soldiers and officers were subjected to legal prosecution while traveling to European countries, which prompted "Israel" Israeli army commanders also obliged soldiers to a number of operational restrictions, the latest of which was blocking photos of dozens of those who were decided to be "honored" on the so-called "Independence Day."
The Israeli government and administration have made tremendous efforts in addressing legal challenges, such as adopting legal and diplomatic maneuvering strategies aimed at turning the issue of warrants and prosecutions into a complex and long-term political and legal issue, with the aim of mitigating its direct impact. However, the symbolism carried by the legal memos struck deep into Israel' s image.and its legitimacy in the international arena, and contributed to reinforcing the narrative that describes it as a State that commits crimes against humanity and deserves accountability.
Despite Israel's success in containing part of the legal and diplomatic pressures, the cumulative impact of this process is clearly evident through the rise of parliamentary voices in Europe demanding a review of trade and military agreements with Israel, increasing demands for sanctions or diplomatic action against Israeli officials involved in war crimes, and the expansion of popular movements calling for economic, academic and cultural boycotts of Israel (BDS).
The changing public mood, especially among the younger generations in the West, suggests that traditional unconditional support for Israel is eroding, and that the perception of it as a "beleaguered small democracy" is less acceptable than in decades past. The Israeli government is trying to counter this slide into isolation by continuing to promote the "anti-terror" narrative. To justify its violations, especially in the American and Western media, deepen the alliance with the United States, ensure continued military, financial and political support in international forums, and expand its relations with the powers of the global South such as India, Africa and Latin America, in an attempt to break the traditional Western hegemony over the international relations scene.
However, these policies do not seem sufficient to halt the gradual path towards isolation, especially since events on the ground continue to prove the racist and violent nature of the Israeli settlement enterprise, exposing it to world public opinion.
The continuation of the criminal war on Gaza, the eradicative and racist rhetoric towards the Palestinian people in Gaza, the ongoing Israeli escalation in the occupied West Bank through settlement expansion and forced displacement, and the Israeli government's rejection of all political and legal tracks that address the roots of the Arab-Israeli conflict, have eroded Israel's moral legitimacy before international public opinion, and led to the rise of new youth forces in the West that consider justice for Palestinians an integral part of their human rights struggles.
In addition, Israel's policy of ignoring international pressure and rejecting any real accountability for its actions makes it vulnerable to further punitive measures in the future, especially with the possibility of changing the positions of some Western governments if the balance of internal political power changes.
Israel is gradually finding itself confronted with a new reality: a world less willing to give it the full cover it has been accustomed to for decades. While in the short term it may succeed in maneuvering and garnering some conventional support, the general trend is pointing to a gradual path of isolation that will turn it into a "rogue state," a fate that will have far-reaching implications for its political, economic, and security future.