What will Israel regard as victory in its wars in Gaza and Lebanon? As its army kills thousands in both conflicts, the deaths of various Hamas and Hezbollah leaders has not been sufficient for Israel to suggest that enough is enough.
Indeed the leaders’ deaths have been used as a justification for further bloodshed, which has so far led to the deaths of 43,000 in Gaza and over 2,000 in Lebanon. So what will victory look like for the Israelis?
Will it be when they believe every member of Hamas and Hezbollah has been killed, or do they also intend to kill their enemies’ supporters, their friends and their families? Do they regard those who live alongside Hamas and Hezbollah as “legitimate targets”, a phrase with which we are sadly familiar in this country?
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It makes the civilised world wonder if Israel intends to leave anyone alive in Gaza, where the situation is beyond horrific. The people there are suffering from severe hunger and a lack of clean drinking water. Medical supplies are becoming exhausted and three partially functioning hospitals were attacked over the weekend, even though they were treating severely wounded patients.
Of course, Israel could not behave like this without the political cover and military equipment supplied by President Biden. The US administration must accept significant responsibility for what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon.
It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the president’s half-hearted attempts to call for peace are influenced more by seeking votes for Kamala Harris, than in relieving the suffering of the children in Gaza.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appears to be pursuing a policy of permanent war abroad to retain political power at home. Ironically, in trying to destroy enemies beyond its borders, Israel’s unrestrained violence is producing a deeply divided society at home.
Israel could not behave like this without the political cover and military equipment supplied by President Biden. The US administration must accept significant responsibility for what is happening in Gaza and Lebanon
Netanyahu’s violence, rather than that of Hamas or Hezbollah, may cause more long-term damage to the state of Israel.
If the US and Israel believe they can kill a political aspiration through violence, they have a poor grasp of history. The right of the Palestinian people to their own independent state is a legitimate ambition which no amount of US weaponry can destroy.
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Indeed, as the US might have learned from its experiences across the world, violence tends to breed resistance rather than destroy it. When they grow up, how will the current children in Gaza regard Israel?
Peace comes through talking rather than killing. The belligerent attitude of Israel and the US suggests that they are seeking victory rather than peace. But what is victory?
It is time for the US and Israel to tell the rest of the world.
