First of all, I would like to express my deep thanks and appreciation to the Center for Scientific and Analytical Information at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the kind invitation to participate in this important event on the Middle East, which is being held at a very delicate juncture. I also extend my sincere greetings and appreciation to the participants in this seminar, who I am confident that their fruitful discussions will contribute to enriching it.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Perhaps it is relevant in the context of what is happening now in the Middle East, to talk about “the future of security in the region after Toofan Al-Aqsa operation.” This, in turn, prompts us to focus on the Palestinian issue, which represents the hard core for Security and stability of the region. What has been happening in Palestine since the seventh of October confirms two facts: The first is that the occupation is completely rejected, no matter how long it lasts, as the occupation generates a military or violent reaction from the occupied party, even if the military balance is not in its favor. This is an important lesson from the hateful history of European colonialism, especially for the countries of the Middle East.
The second fact is that in a state where a racist murderer takes over the Ministry of National Security and so for the other member of the Israeli coalition government, it is normal for the Palestinian people to reach a state of despair and a sense of injustice, which pushes them to do what they did on October 7th. We all know the criminal practices of the ruling racist coalition in Israel under a strange American-European silence that completely undermines the moral slogans of the West against Russia, in connection with the Ukrainian crisis. All these slogans, such as the protection of civilians, the rejection of occupation and respect for the international laws of war – are completely absent when talking about Israel, despite the brutality of its actions, and even the leaders of the corrupt ruling elite in the West have flocked to Israel since October 7th to bless its barbaric acts in Palestine. It is ironic that the United States is still trying to frame the Ukraine crisis, not as a geopolitical conflict between the West and Russia, but as a defense of the principles and objectives of the United Nations.
There is no doubt that over the past years, instead of seeking just solutions to the Palestinian question, the Middle East has been, and continues to be, the scene of flagrant violations of the norms of international law by the United States. An observer of the foreign policy of the United States regarding the issue of the Israeli occupation of Palestine finds that it is a multi-track policy, always avoiding any differences with Israel aimed at imposing a fait accompli that is difficult, if not impossible, to improve the situation in the region:
The first track is to continue arming Israel with the latest weapons and equipment produced by the American military industry, in order to preserve Israel’s qualitative superiority over all Arab countries combined. The joint military industrialization between the United States and Israel and the unfettered cooperation between them in the field of advanced military technology have led Israel to become a global player in this field, and has allowed it enormous strategic gains, including the race among major countries, including major European countries, to obtain Israeli weapons and military technologies, not to mention the Israeli penetration into Africa in security and military cooperation with the direct and indirect encouragement of the United States.
While most countries in the region are suffering heavy losses and facing difficult challenges related to the repercussions of the crisis in Ukraine on their economies, especially food security problems, high energy prices and unprecedented inflation rates, Israel is reaping enormous benefits from this war; the latter has led most European governments to double their defense spending, and then intensified their purchases of Israeli weapons. Due to growing geopolitical concerns as a result of the war, the political reasons that led some European governments to refrain from buying Israeli weapons have receded. Germany, which plays a central role in European defence, is at the forefront of Israeli weapons, having recently bought the ARROW 3 ballistic missile defense system for 3 billion euros from an Israeli company. This means that Germany is funding the Israeli killing machine, which begs the question: How long will Germany remain captive to the guilt complex towards the Jews? Why would you accept that Palestinians pay a price for crimes they did not commit?
The second track of US foreign policy in the region is to adopt coercive diplomacy based on pressuring countries, especially Arab and African, to normalize with Israel and sometimes threatening to offer some economic and political security benefits in return. This includes initiatives aimed at integrating Israel into the region, such as the “Negev Summit” in April 2022, and before it the so called “Middle East NATO”. Israel usually uses these initiatives to demonstrate the decline of the Palestinian cause on the regional and international agenda.
The third – and perhaps most important – path is the unfortunate fact that the United States, which presents itself as the leader of the “free world” and the “rules-based international order,” has been, and continues to be, the main player in thwarting all attempts to recognize occupied Palestine as an independent and sovereign state, despite its right to do so in accordance with the rules of international law. Over the past four decades, the United States has exerted unremitting efforts and intense pressure to whitewash Israel at the United Nations and integrate it into the multilateral international system despite its daily crimes, and its categorical rejection of all initiatives aimed at finding a just solution to the conflict.
It is no secret that the United States has repeatedly warned the Palestinian National Authority that if it persists in its position on applying to the UN Security Council for admission as a full member of the United Nations, it will veto a resolution. In the context of its shameful and ridiculous position by virtue of its constant talk about the two-state solution, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany among 26 countries, objected to the General Assembly resolution issued at the end of December 2022, which requests the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion on determining “the legal consequences of Israel’s continued violation of the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”, as well as its actions to “change the demographic composition, character and status of the city of Jerusalem.” The voting pattern on the resolution (87 in favor, 26 against and 53 abstentions) reflected the enormous US pressure on UN member states within the framework of the US policy, which is always keen on Israel with impunity for its crimes.
What is happening in Gaza takes the entire region to a new stage, characterized by extreme chaos and a gross imbalance in the balance of power, as it is no longer a matter of Israel only, but of the United States, which rushed to move its military machines to the Middle East, while its president asked Congress for $ 14 billion in funding in support of Israel and deterrence to what it has always described as its opponents and the opponents of its main ally in the region. This also includes the heavy US military presence in Israel, to help it implement its agenda in Gaza, liquidate the Palestinian cause, and empty the Gaza Strip of its population, in a manner inconsistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and in a way that wastes the international efforts that have been made for more than half a century, to establish an independent Palestinian state.
Trying to force Palestinians out of Gaza into Egypt is not a humanitarian gesture. Egypt and other Arab countries are resisting the pressure to open borders to the displaced Palestinians. As a largely refugee population forced out of what became the State of Israel during the Nakba (or Catastrophe) between 1948 – 1949, Palestinians in Gaza are rightly concerned about never being allowed to return to the Strip once evacuated.
Israeli leaders are openly threatening a second Nakba. The language being used is itself extremely escalatory, even genocidal. What is needed is an outside world that can acknowledge the humanity of Palestinians and their endless pain and dispossession.
As some analysts, rightly said, this sin of omission in the language coming from the US and many European leaders, as they have spoken thus with tremendous empathy about the humanity of the Israelis, is encouraging the committing of war crimes.
I stop here and thank you for your attention.