Israel and the US Are About to Make A HUGE Mistake

When Hamas-led Palestinian fighters launched their deadly assault in Israel on October 7, many foreign governments rushed to support Israel, of course there is no bigger supporter of Israel than the United States, who immediately declared Israel has a right to self-defense. But as Israel prepares for a ground invasion into Gaza, there is a massive problem that if not corrected has the potential to not only damage Israel forever but also lead to the complete collapse of the US “world led order”. Let me explain:

Clear evidence has already emerged that Israel is violating international law first established during the Geneva Conventions. On October 11, the Israeli authorities cut off water, electricity, fuel, Internet access, and food to Gaza, amounting to unlawful collective punishment of the civilian population. Although Israeli officials have restored water to some parts of southern Gaza, they are keeping the taps shut in most of the territory.

On October 12, the International Committee of the Red Cross issued a statement noting that without power, Gaza’s hospitals are “turning into morgues.” 

On October 12, Human Rights Watch reported that Israel used white phosphorous in operations in Gaza and Lebanon and because white phosphorus can cause excruciating burns and long-term medical suffering, its use in populated areas violates international law. And this is where things get very interesting…

US officials have been either unwilling or unauthorized to condemn these Israeli violations of international humanitarian law, putting both the US and Israel in a very difficult position.

But first, please don’t misunderstand my message today, before I continue any further let me be crystal clear on one important point:

I do not support nor condone the violent actions Hamas carried out against innocent Jewish civilians on Oct 7^th. These brutal killings and actions from Hamas against Israel were horrific and NOTHING justifies these actions.

Israel has every right to defend itself, but one act of terrorism doesn’t justify Israel to launch an attack without following international humanitarian laws and ensuring innocent civilians lives in Gaza are spared.

Political scientist Ian Bremer, who has been an outstanding voice of reason throughout this entire conflict tells the situation exactly as it is:

The United States is the only country in the world that can influence and guide Israel right now. In fact, Israel wouldn’t have a military or defense force if it weren’t for the Americans. The US sends billions of dollars of military aid every year to Israel, but if US weapons are used in military attacks against innocent civilians, the United States is required under international law to stop supplying those weapons.

Of course, we all know the US military often times doesn’t follow international law, and for many countries, most especially those in the Global South, the inability of the US government to influence and control Israel represents a HUGE double standard in American foreign policy. US officials have no trouble criticizing other governments for violations of international law.

Last year, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield condemned Russia’s conduct in the war in Ukraine. She advocated areas of Ukraine had been without food, water, electricity, or gas for weeks and immediately called out Russia for violating international law. But once again, not a single word from the US government when Israel engages in the exact same activity.

Maybe the Biden administration reacted differently to Russia than it did to Israel because it believes the actions of Hamas justifies Israel’s conduct. But international law is not enforced on whether you feel the action is justified or not. If it was, then no party to a conflict would ever feel an obligation to abide by the laws of war.

When the United States lets violations of international humanitarian laws slide, that harms America’s ability to uphold the “rules-based international order”. To help illustrate my point I’m going to bring in the expert analysis of Medhi Hasan, a well-known British-American broadcaster who hosts his own TV show on MSNBC.

This is a point I’ve made many times before. The Global South has been completely ignored by the US and its allies for decades. This is why China is the dominant superpower and trusted ally amongst countries in the Global South. Unfortunately, most Americans live in an information bubble, they have no idea what is going on outside of US borders because our media parrots the belief of “American exceptionalism” that we are the greatest nation on the earth and every nation wants to follow America’s lead. But once you get outside US borders the story is often quite different.

The United States is the only country that can influence Israel in this moment. Since the founding of country in 1948, Israel has been the largest recipient of US military assistance, accepting more than $158 billion dollars from the US government. Simply put, Israel wouldn’t have survived if it wasn’t for US military support, but the US has a duty to make sure our partners uphold agreed-upon standards.

The 2022 Civilian Harm Mitigation Response Action Plan is a law that states “US security partners are under the same legal obligations as U.S. forces to minimize harm to civilians.” Earlier this year the US government passed the Conventional Arms Transfer Policy of 2023 under the law, the US State Department must stop transferring arms to countries that harm civilians with U.S. weapons.

There is no way that Washington can look past these laws and give an exception to Israel, it would completely backfire and destroy any remaining credibility the US government has left on the international stage. The reason these policies were implemented of course was in response to the tragic errors the US military made in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria.

The US led “war on terror” in the Middle East was an absolute disaster for the region resulting in the death of millions of innocent civilians. The United States undermined our own mission in the Middle East by failing to prioritize civilian protection. This is exactly why three-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Thomas Friedman wrote this essay for the NY Times entitled “Israel is About to Make a Terrible Mistake”.

In my opinion, this is THE best article on the Israel and Hamas war. Here is the main takeaway from Friedman:

I believe that if Israel rushes headlong into Gaza now to destroy Hamas — and does so without expressing a clear commitment to seek a two-state solution with the Palestinian Authority and end Jewish settlements deep in the West Bank — it will be making a grave mistake that will be devastating for Israeli interests and American interests.

One massive issue for Israel is the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu is NOT the leader Israel needs right now as he represents the most far right extreme politician in any democracy in the world. Let that fact sink in.

Netanyahu is a right-wing extremist who has surrounded himself with a cabinet of members that are even more far right extreme than he is. And it’s his cabinet who is pushing Israel forward with the plan to invade Gaza and get the revenge all of them desperately seek against Hamas. Once again Ian Bremer warns of us at what’s really at stake:

Netanyahu should not allow this to happen, but he has trapped himself. He needs those right-wing extremists in his coalition to keep himself out of jail on corruption charges. Unfortunately, Israeli military leaders are more hawkish than the prime minister now. They are red with rage and determined to deliver a blow to Hamas that the whole neighborhood will never forget, but the world is on edge as this entire conflict is on the verge of a tipping point and has the potential to trigger a Middle East war with every great power and regional power participating. Once started this would be very difficult to stop. Once again Thomas Friedman shares his vision and plan that would actually work for the region:

But if Israel feels it must reoccupy Gaza to destroy Hamas and restore its deterrence and security — I repeat — it must pair that military operation with a new commitment to pursue a two-state solution with those Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza ready to make peace with Israel.

Hamas does not represent Palestine, it’s important we make this clarification. There are many innocent Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza who simply just want the chance to live the values the US government and our partners preach every day. If a group of people have no hope, no future than this is the exact breeding ground for extreme terrorism and its why Hamas was democratically elected into power in 2006.

Therefore, Hamas represents an ideology more than a group of people. As long as the illegal settlements, Gaza blockade desperation, poverty, denied self-determination and ongoing killing of Palestinians continue, the ideology of Hamas will continue, only with even greater support. Therefore, the ONLY solution that will truly get rid of Hamas is a new two-state solution that gives those Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza a chance to make peace with Israel and a chance for hope and a future.

Countries that recognize Palestine

Once again, the entire Global South and vast majority of the world already recognize Palestine as an independent state and once again it’s Ian Bremer who tells us all the reality of the situation:

This is the message that Joe Biden needs to be delivering to Netanyahu, whether he has the courage to do it and keep Israel accountable to international humanitarian laws is something we are all waiting to see.