The war in Gaza is generating ripple effects across the entire world, thousands of kilometers beyond the borders of Israel and the Gaza Strip. We naturally tend to view our conflict with Hamas in a detached manner but in the wider world, this conflict has implications for inter-power relations in various contexts, such as the war in Ukraine, the alliance between Russia and Iran against the US, and also for the internal politics of a variety of countries.
For example, one internal political impact – the McCarthyistic struggle of the American Right against the academic institutions that tend to be liberal – rests on accusations of antisemitism and is presented on the left as a struggle of Jews against academia arising out of the consequences of the war. Another example is the assertion by several commentators that the anti-Israel demonstrations in the Netherlands influenced the surprising success of Geert Wilders in the Dutch elections.
The “Prosperity Guardian” operation launched by the Americans in the face of the threat posed by the Houthis to the shipping route through the Bab al-Mandab straits near the border of Yemen testifies, more than anything else, to the challenges created by the war in the international arena. The effects of Houthi terrorism on world trade are clear and severe, but most of the countries suffering from them chose not to join the American coalition.
These include Egypt, whose revenues from the Suez Canal have been seriously curtailed by the Houthis, and the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, which have been in conflict with the Houthis for several years. Saudi Arabia, naturally, views the success of efforts to reach an agreement with the Houthis on the future of Yemen at the top of its priorities. The large majority of European countries, for which the Suez Canal is the main shipping route from the global production centers in East Asia, also prefer to avoid taking a position. China, too, is affected by the violation of freedom of navigation, but it will not cooperate with the US, nor is it easy for the Biden administration to cooperate with the Chinese in an election year.
The considerations of the various countries are compounded by the fact that even an operation designed to combat a threat whose effects are much broader than the pure Israeli context will be viewed by many in the West as support for or objection to the Netanyahu government and the manner in which it is conducting the war.
Israel, pay attention to the absence of most major European countries
It is convenient for the Western world as well as for most of the Arab world (except Bahrain, which joined the coalition) to leave the work in the hands of 10 countries, the main ones being the US and the UK. This is because they do not wish to be perceived as siding with Israel, at a time when the world is witnessing on its television screens the scenes of destruction and death in Gaza that the Israeli public is not exposed to.
The absence from the coalition of most of the major European countries, including Germany, France, Italy, and Spain, is an important and frightening message from the world to Israel. According to them, even at the cost of paying a heavy economic price, it is better to avoid being identified as supporting what is perceived by many among their public as the indiscriminate slaughter of Gazans who are not Hamas terrorists.
If we thought that the indirect Russian support for Hamas alongside China’s inability to condemn the crimes of October 7 would bolster the West’s support for Israel, we were wrong. The scenes of destruction and killing that continue to emanate from the Gaza Strip have dulled the memory of October 7 in the Western world. This, along with political interests pertaining to the large Muslim minorities in many Western countries, has led to a fear of identification with Israel and the interests of its right-wing government.
Even our campaign against Hezbollah has not received sufficient appreciation from the world outside the US, despite the great restraint Israel has shown. This is due to the reticence of many countries to put pressure on Iran since Trump’s abandonment of the nuclear agreement between the major powers and Iran.
The US stands out, in the face of international inaction
In the face of international inaction, the US stands out as a country that has both understood the impact that the justified war in Gaza may have on the entire world and has reacted accordingly. While supporting Israel in its war against Hamas, the US demands that Israel prioritize the release of the hostages, avoid harming the lives of civilians in Gaza as much as possible, and act according to international law. Once again, we discover the critical alliance Israel has with the US.
Allowing China to acquire strategic assets in Israel, or flattering President Putin will not help us and neither will attributing to ourselves a close friendship with European countries while we continue to underestimate European sensitivities vis-à-vis the Palestinians.
The Biden administration, which has openly supported Israel since the start of the war – also risking the lives of its own American soldiers in bases in Iraq that have been attacked – will not be able to continue to support Israel if the Netanyahu government does not help Biden to help us. The inability of the Netanyahu government to assist the US in creating a post-war scenario based on a political horizon for the Palestinians is damaging American interests. The support of some government ministers for violence against Palestinians and evicting them from their homes in Area C also creates strategic and political difficulties for the Biden administration.
More than ever, it is clear that the alliance with the United States is crucial for the very existence of the State of Israel. We are indeed fortunate that Biden defines himself as a “Zionist” who was willing, for some time, to ignore the ugly background noises coming from the direction of the Israeli government, and who continues to stand by the Jewish and democratic state that is so important to him.
If those “agents of destruction” within the government succeed in implementing anti-Israeli and anti-democratic measures, such as the transfer of the population or the renewal of the settlements in the Gaza Strip, it is by no means certain that we will receive the same support in the future.
At this time, it is not sufficient to declare that we are in our second war of independence. It is also important to understand that America is not “another country” but is the pillar of Israel’s security and the only country that will save us in times of crisis. For this support to continue, we, the citizens of Israel, have the task of saving ourselves from the evil racism within our government that may lead us all to destruction.
The writer is JStreet Israel executive director.