A war that can have no winners

It’s been a year since Hamas launched its ill-conceived and brazen terrorist attacks on Israel that enabled the group to take scores of hostages but led to a debilitating war. Israel’s disproportionate response to the assault has led to the death of more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women, children, and the elderly. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been unable to achieve his stated goals of destroying Hamas and bringing all the hostages home. With Israel’s decision to expand the war to Lebanon, apparently, to decapitate Hezbollah and facilitate the return of Israelis who had fled the northern part of the country, concerns about the violence spiralling out of control have grown. Netanyahu, who just a year ago was desperately clinging to power to avoid facing corruption and fraud charges, today enjoys popular backing within his country. But this has come at a tremendous human cost — nearly two million Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza and nearly all of them remain trapped, while one million Lebanese have fled their homes in recent days. Netanyahu’s actions in the West Bank and Gaza have triggered fears that he wishes to leave no room for a two-State solution. Iran, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen have faced the brunt of Israel’s military might as Netanyahu claims he is destroying an ecosystem of Islamist terror.
Israel has the support of the US, from where evidence has emerged of the Biden administration turning a blind eye to Netanyahu’s flagrant human rights violations, but Tel Aviv has lost the propaganda war. The Palestinian cause has received a fillip with countries such as Ireland, Norway and Spain voicing support for a two-State solution. The gains and diplomatic wins made through the Abraham Accords lie in tatters and West Asia has been dragged back several decades, with Israel isolated in a hostile region. The United Nations has again been exposed as a toothless body that is a prisoner to the interests of the five permanent members of the Security Council. In India and elsewhere, concerns have increased about the conflict’s impact on oil prices and exports at a time when the global economy remains fragile. Israel’s plan to retaliate against Iran could well tip West Asia past the breaking point. This war must end, and the world must then seriously look at UN reforms to ensure there are mechanisms in place to assert a rules-based order and avert prolonged wars.