By using firearm weapons to eliminate a terrorist threat, the Israeli Prime Minister exposed the fatal flaw in his war against Hamas. The United Nations, international courts, Europe, and even the United States are powerless to rein in Benjamin Netanyahu; the only key to stopping this war lies in the hands of the Israeli people themselves.
At least Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not labeled the 50 refugees as "terrorists." However, his description of the Israeli airstrike that burned these individuals alive—most of whom were women and children—as a "tragic unfortunate incident" is equally a cruel insult to the innocent victims. If the goal of language is to convey meaning, we all understand the nature of the sentiments behind this prose. Even if Netanyahu wants to be seen, both at home and by his enemies and the world, as part of a new generation of strong global leaders, he must refrain from speaking in this manner. It is a horrible way to die, but many others—about 36,000 people—have actually perished in Gaza under similarly tragic conditions since Netanyahu launched his disastrous war nearly eight months ago.
How many more people will die, be injured, become orphans, hungry, or suffer from trauma when he finishes his operation? This does not seem to be a major concern for him, even if some of the victims are Israeli hostages. It has become blatantly clear—through both Netanyahu's words and actions—that Palestinian lives do not matter to him (not that there was much doubt about that). Seeing images of those tents burning clearly indicates we are witnessing nothing short of a war crime.
The usual refrain has been repeated ad nauseam: Israel takes "all possible precautions" to protect civilians trapped amidst the fighting in Gaza, and the "Israeli Defense Forces" make "every effort to avoid harming non-combatants" in the conflict. This is another translation of the term used to attribute what is happening to "collateral damage" or "bad incidents occurring in war." When Western countries express objections to what is happening, they are reminded of the atrocities committed in both Hiroshima and Dresden during past battles against evil. But even if those actions were justified, it does not mean that what Netanyahu ordered is also a justified or inevitable action.
The truth is that after Hamas committed its provocative and deliberate atrocities on October 7, Israel has waged and continues to wage an unjust war using inappropriate weapons, which has ultimately directly benefited Hamas. Massive casualties were unavoidable due to the lack of aid, water, and medicine, the cutting off of supplies to Gaza, alongside continuous airstrikes that have destroyed nearly half of the buildings in the region and nearly all of its infrastructure. Yet the rubble effectively provides cover for fighters, while Israeli tanks and shells cannot penetrate all the hideouts of the terrorists. Moreover, Hamas shows little concern for human losses among the Palestinians and is not affected by internal pressures. The reality is that some Palestinians may see the movement as their only defender in a world that turns its back on them. Can anyone doubt that Israel has succeeded in creating new battalions of young Gazans ready to avenge their dead?
Now, Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself trapped in a snare he set for himself, attempting to use overwhelming force to eliminate a terrorist threat. It is clear that this approach has proven ineffective. The "asymmetrical war," as it is referred to, has frustrated all the world's great powers. If the Israeli Prime Minister's strategy were truly effective, the International Criminal Court would not be preparing arrest warrants for Hamas leaders who remain at large. It has become apparent that destroying the city of Rafah is a primitive and ineffective means to target these individuals or even bring them to justice for the war crimes they have committed.
All that can be said about the near future is that this conflict will not end in the foreseeable future, even if the buildings of Rafah are perhaps leveled to the ground. When nothing remains to be bombed and nowhere for the people of Gaza to go, this war will not lay down its arms; it will simply have completed its first phase.
Realistically, the United Nations, international courts, Europe, or even the United States can do nothing to rein in Netanyahu. It is unlikely that Israel will face consequences beyond a slight disruption in the flow of large American-made bombs to it and expressions of dismay from the American president and secretary of state. Netanyahu views international courts with disdain, and British Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron does not impress him much. He will not lose sleep over Ireland, Norway, and Spain recognizing a Palestinian state. He is also not overly concerned about the outcome of last Tuesday's emergency United Nations Security Council meeting dedicated to discussing the bombing of Rafah.
The fundamentals will remain unchanged. Israel will not suffer from an arms embargo preventing it from receiving weapons, as the United States and Germany, the main suppliers, will never impose such a ban, and Netanyahu is aware of that (he also knows he can rely on Donald Trump if luck plays in his favor and he returns to the White House). The Israeli Prime Minister has a plentiful arsenal and alternative means to acquire new equipment to continue his war. It does not take much ammunition to turn a village or hospital into rubble.
One American president once said about the brutal war his country was waging in Southeast Asia, "North Vietnam cannot defeat the United States; only Americans can do that." He was somewhat correct, as ultimately, it was the popular political pressures exerted by the American people that ended the Vietnam War nearly half a century ago, leading to the return of troops and most American prisoners of war to their homeland.
The same applies to Israel. At some point, the Israeli people and their representatives in the Knesset (parliament) and government will have to stop Benjamin Netanyahu from dragging their country into what one of their human rights organizations calls "the moral abyss," making it a less safe place than ever in its history, with increasingly fewer friendships and isolated in a hostile and unstable region. Until that happens, we will continue to wait as the Palestinians suffer.
