Amid escalating domestic and international criticism of the Gaza war, Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to expand operations and fully occupy this devastated strip.
Kabul 24: Apparently, Bibi has received the green light from Trump to continue and escalate the war. This comes as 600 former Israeli military and security officials urged Trump yesterday to pressure Netanyahu to end the Gaza tragedy.
In their request, they wrote that continuing the Gaza war would lead to further erosion of Israel’s identity and legitimacy.
Interestingly, Trump not only disregarded Israel’s internal criticisms and those of Western allies regarding Netanyahu but also gave him the go-ahead to expand the war.
The reason is not entirely clear! Has Trump been seized by sudden madness, enraged by Hamas’s stubbornness in negotiations?
Or is it that in his state-centric worldview, which is based on profit-making and business deals and takes a project-based approach to geopolitical issues, partisan groups and subnational actors like Hamas have no place at all?
Naturally, when he looks with disdain and indifference at supranational entities like NATO, the European Union, BRICS, and others, resistance movements like Hamas and YPG should have no standing whatsoever!
Taste, of course, is subjective, and no one should be blamed for inclinations rooted in personal convictions, emotions, or lived experiences.
But the problem is that he lacks a deep understanding of the issue’s complexities and believes that hard power can overcome any problem. Apparently, the twelve-day Israel-Iran war has emboldened him in this view.
A war that began with his green light and ended on his command. The passivity of China and Russia, along with Israel’s compliance, not only strengthened America’s waning position in the Middle East but also boosted Trump’s audacity and boldness.
Moreover, his unpredictability and erratic behavior have turned into a strategic advantage in global rivalries. Even if all these speculations are true, what fault does this frail, hungry child and thousands of others like him bear?
What is their sin that the world is policed by someone shortsighted, lacking a deep and historically informed understanding of the issues in their homeland?
Salahuddin Khadiu
