World News: Netanyahu Forced to Apologize Again as Offensive Continues

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Category: World News

Published on Tuesday, 28 May 2024 09:04

Written by Olivier Longhi

In the aftermath of the bombing of a camp for displaced Palestinians by the Israeli army, questions about the strategic relevance of the military operation are being raised, particularly regarding war goals and objectives that are gradually losing clarity.

"A tragic mistake," as Benjamin Netanyahu describes it or not, the bombing of the Barkasat camp in Rafah resulted in the death of 45 people and more than 240 wounded. From now on, only one question remains, namely, how far the Israeli Prime Minister will go in his war against Hamas.

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Because waging war on terrorists is understandable and audible from a military and strategic point of view, but bombing a civilian camp where women, children, old people and other vulnerable people live have little or no legitimacy.

Accused by the International Criminal Court of stopping the military offensive, the Jewish state and its prime minister find themselves caught in a diplomatic and political trap from which it will be difficult to extricate themselves. Certainly, supported by the United States, an unconditional ally of Israel, but who knows for how much longer, Benjamin Netanyahu sees his room for maneuvers shrinking as the days go by.

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Extreme Extremism

Originally seen as a victim of Hamas's blind terrorism, Israel now takes on the mantle of executioner, with international opinion, and with it the ICC, judging the disproportionate military response against the Palestinians, unfair in view of the civilian victims that the offensive supposed to restore Israel's security generates.

And the bombing of the Barkasat camp, even if it was the result of a military error, only aggravates the situation of a country and a man who are both dangerously close to the border of incomprehension on the part of all.

The hardline stance of Benjamin Netanyahu, caught in the grip of a fragile alliance in the Knesset on which his political future depends, the rise of pro-Palestinian protests in universities, particularly in North America, and the recognition of the Palestinian state by several European countries contribute, among other things, to isolating a nation.

Known as a man whose war aims are disintegrating a little more every day in an offensive in loss and in search of meaning, certain that the military operation will one day come to an end, no one knows when, however, it is just as certain that the said operation will leave traces within the international community, which will no longer necessarily see the Jewish state from the same angle, as well as within Israeli society, which could emerge fractured from this episode.

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Two States, One Peace

If today the conduct of the military operation is more due to Benjamin Netanyahu's absolute desire to reduce Hamas to ashes, obscuring the fact that any terrorist movement can regenerate itself over time despite its temporary destruction, than to strategically and militarily clear war objectives, it is not forbidden to wonder about the post-war period but also the post-Netanyahu period.

The two-state solution, opposed by the current Prime Minister, will naturally once again become an issue and an essential issue to ensure Israel's peace but also the future of a Palestinian state. However, if the diplomatic solution exists (two states, two peoples, a common peace), it does not seem to be the driving force behind the Israeli offensive, which is more of a vendetta than a strategy with a pacifying aim.

Bio: Olivier Longhi has extensive experience in European history. A seasoned journalist with fifteen years of experience, he is currently professor of history and geography in the Toulouse region of France. He has held a variety of publishing positions, including Head of Agency and Chief of Publishing. A journalist, recognized blogger, editor, and editorial project manager, he has trained and managed editorial teams, worked as a journalist for various local radio stations, a press and publishing consultant, and a communications consultant.