Israel’s future…

Israel started its life as an independent nation by engaging in ethnic cleansing or ‘nakba’ as the Palestinians call it. It was forcefully done, but in the Israeli imagination, it became a choice-driven process. As John Mearsheimer, the redoubtable politician of Jewish heritage noted recently, ‘voluntary’ ethnic cleansing is the only ‘final solution’ – a land for Jews and Jews only, where there is no trace of indigenous Palestinians as they will have all moved to other neighbouring Arab countries. Hence, there is no need to engage in dangerous conversations on a ‘binational ‘ state of Israel-Palestine or two states of Israel and Palestine embodying peaceful co-existence.

The prized goal of voluntary ethnic cleansing has not happened. What has emerged is a dystopian world in which a highly militarized, ethno-nationalist, settler-colonial state brutally subjugates Palestinians while pining for the pipe dream of peaceful ethnic cleansing. The latest genocidal war on Gazans by Israel – admittedly in retaliation against the October 7 attacks by Hamas – is the latest example of this dystopian world that captures the bitter reality of a nation that has forsaken its future for ‘forever wars’ against a weak and largely defenceless enemy that it finds difficult to vanquish. It is Hamas today, but it could morph into another entity tomorrow.

As the Washington Post’s Ishaan Tharoor has emphasized, Israel is facing growing global isolation and is boxed into a corner. The United States continues to be Israel’s cheerleader (what ‘genocide’? there are no ‘red lines’), but several Western allies that meekly followed ‘follow-the-leader’ in the past are quietly eschewing this shameful strategy. Many EU nations, and dependable allies like Australia, have voted in favour of UN resolutions seeking a long-term ceasefire to stop the wanton bloodshed in Gaza. Many of these very countries have voted in favour of a UN resolution to grant Palestine full UN membership. Ireland, Norway and Spain have fully recognized the Palestinian state a few days ago.

The International Criminal Court of Justice (ICJ) has issued multiple injunctions against Israel’s current war on Gazans and might, in the fullness of time, decide that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. . Most importantly, the International Criminal Court (ICC) is poised to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant along with three Hamas leaders.This is historically unprecedented. This has happened despite a relentless Israeli-led campaign, spread over a decade, of intimidating the ICC and attempting to tarnish its credibility. Even here, the US-led West has seen its facade of unity waver, with some countries arguing that the independence of the ICC must be upheld to ensure that no country – yes this includes Israel –  is above the law. Here again, the USA has been an embarrassing spectacle, with President Joe Biden sounding shrill and silly in his critique of ICC. The bitter reality is Netanyahu and Gallant may not be able to visit even Germany (officially the most pro-Israeli nation in Europe) as it is a signatory to ICC and hence would be obliged to enforce ICC-led arrest warrants.

In sum, Israel’s future is bleak if it continues in its current quest to subjugate the Palestinians. B’Tselem, a leading Israeli human rights organisation, laments “Israel’s rapid decline into a moral abyss”.

Israeli writer Yoana Gonen mourns the tragic transformation of his country.

“Toddlers go up in flames, and our Israeli public celebrates…that’s what our hell looks like…Israel has such a strong desire for revenge that it is slowly sinking into a dark abyss, hand in hand with the ruins of Gaza”.