A year after the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, the death toll continues to rise and the horizon shows no sign of brightening. The United Nations, but also the European Union and the United States, appear powerless to put an end to the conflict.
Despite nearly 42,000 Palestinians killed since October 7 – the day after the Hamas terrorist attack which left 1,205 dead – the incessant calls from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres still ring in the void. “ I urge the Security Council to come together to support an immediate ceasefire leading to a viable two-State solution. It’s the only way to end this cycle of tragedy “, declared the UN chief during the Annual General Assembly on September 24. Calling for an end to the spiral of violence, he visibly recalled in vain that Gaza East “the most dangerous place in the world for aid delivery “.
The UN can only move forward if there is consensus among the great powers. For a year, the United Nations has failed to put an end to the war. The global forum for conflict resolution and world peace is undermined by the divisions of the five permanent members of the Security Council. “ The right of veto on this question of war, which is mainly used by the United States, paralyzes the UN. And the unconditional support of the United States for Israel, obviously, does not favor the implementation of a negotiation policy », analyzes Alain Gresh, director of the online newspaper Orient XXI and author of Palestine: A people who do not want to die (Editions The links that free).
“A period of law of the jungle »
During the great annual UN rally, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, right in his boots, warned during his speech and while many heads of state who had taken the podium before him had called for an end to the war, that his army would continue to fight Hamas and Hezbollah “ until victory “. Boycotted by several delegations, it thus dashed the hopes of a temporary 21-day truce in Lebanon proposed on September 25 by France and the United States, joined by numerous Western and Arab countries.
The day before, September 26, the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas asked: “ Stop the genocide. Stop sending weapons to Israel. » « This madness must stop. The whole world is responsible for what our population suffers Gaza and in West Bank. »
There International Court of Justicethe United Nations’ highest body on international law, said there was a risk of genocide in Gaza and said the occupation was illegal. Israel ignores it. “ What we are witnessing, continues Alain Gresh, it is the disqualification of international law as a basis for conflict resolution. We are entering a period which risks being a period of the law of the jungle where international law no longer has any weight. »
The EU divided
Impotence of the United Nations, but also of the European Union. On September 17, the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borell, called for “ put pressure » on Israel and Palestinian Hamas to reach a truce in the Gaza Strip, after months of fruitless negotiations. “ All stakeholders must continue to put pressure on both parties » to reach an agreement allowing a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip. An appeal which also seems to have been in vain given the progress of the situation on the ground and the blatant disagreements between the 27 members of the EU since the start of the war.
The 27, who a year ago affirmed in unison “ Israel’s right to defend itself “, have quickly divided between two “camps” for a year: the one which defends Israel tooth and nail and the one which advocates respect for international law, even which recognizes the State of Palestine like Spain and Ireland. Three weeks after the start of the conflict, they failed to unite to call for a ceasefire, contenting themselves with calling for “humanitarian pauses”.
Among the criticisms made of the EU: the application of a double standard between Ukraine and Palestine. The journey ofUrsula von der Leyen in Israel to meet Benyamin Netanyahu on October 13, 2023 is causing a stir in Brussels because the President of the Commission does not have a word for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip then under fire from bombs.
For its part, until the beginning of the 2000s, France voiced a different voice on the conflict between Israel and the Arab countries, including the Palestinians, believing that a “balanced” solution was necessary. She thus played a leading role in pushing for negotiations with the PLO, urging recognition of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. “ Today, in European countries, France is one of the countries most aligned with Germany on Israelpoints out Alain Gresh. There is a complete change in French policy which is deepening Europe’s divisions. It’s true that at 27, it’s difficult to take positions, but when the main powers of Europe, France and Germany, align themselves to such an extent with Israel, that makes any action autonomy of the European Union really very difficult. »
“ If we call for a ceasefire, consistency means not providing the weapons of war »: Emmanuel Macron has against all odds asked Saturday October 5 to stop deliveries to Israel of weapons used in Gaza, arousing the anger of the Israeli Prime Minister.
The United States, tied hand and foot to Tel Aviv?
On September 27, in the midst of an escalation with Lebanon and before the death of Hassan Nasrallah, and after Netanyahu’s refusal of a temporary truce with Hezbollah, Israel obtained $8.7 billion in aid from the United States to support its military efforts. Since October 7, Washington has continued at all costs to affirm its support for “ right of Israel to defend its territory and its people “. However, on October 8, 2023, President Biden asks Tel Aviv not to make the same mistakes as the United States after 9/11. “ For a year, the United States has demonstrated both an inability and a lack of will to transform the situation on the ground; it has not used the only lever at its disposal to change Israeli policy and lead to negotiations and the release of the hostages: namely an arms embargo or a very strict limitation on the sending of weapons to Israel “, analysis on RFI Philip Golub, professor of international relations at the American University of Paris.
Like the recalls Gilbert Achcarprofessor of development studies and international relations at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London, Washington initially saw itself as a neutral mediator in relations between Tel Aviv and the Arab world. “During his 2020 presidential campaign, candidate Biden promised to reverse the very pro-Israeli course of his predecessor’s policies, notably by reopening the United States consulate in East Jerusalem and allowing the representation of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to reestablish an office in Washington; he didn’t do anything about it. Instead, he continued in the footsteps of Mr. Donald Trump by focusing primarily on encouraging the Saudi kingdom to join the Arab states that have established diplomatic relations with Israel, then by providing Israel with unconditional de facto support since its invasion of Gaza. »
An element that could explain the American position vis-à-vis Israel: according to the Wall Street Journala ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is unlikely before President Biden leaves office in January 2025. If Kamala Harris is elected, however, she intends to continue the agreement for annual arms deliveries in Tel Aviv for 3.4 billion euros. Other analysts also argue that the United States, if it reduced its support for Israel, feared having a lesser political and security place on the Middle Eastern scene.
“ I thinks the fundamental reason is that the United States supports Israel, unconditionallyanalyzes for his part Alain Gresh. That even though there have been tensions between Israel and the United States throughout history, the alliance is strategic. The presidential election may weigh a little because it is a subject of domestic politics, but the American population is now quite divided on the question of the war in Gaza. »
And the director of Orient XXI continues : “Fundamentally, there is a convergence of strategy. The United States and Israel want to eliminate Hamas, they want to eliminate Hezbollah, they hope to deal blows to Iran. But when we think about it for a moment, we have a crazy actor here, that is to say he is waging a world war, regional in any case, against all the States, hoping that they will win. This is unfortunately the result, despite the cries of victory from the Israelis, it is more chaos and certainly not the idea that they will be able to impose their will in the region. »
Netanyahu with impunity
The Israeli Prime Minister seems to have been acting since October 7, 2023 without listening to anyone. “ European and American diplomats are on leave », Repeated again at the end of September the former French Minister of Foreign Affairs Dominique de Villepin.
All UN resolutions have been trampled. Benyamin Netanyahu’s latest affront: being photographed within the UN when he gave the order on September 27 to bomb the alleged building of the Hezbollah leader in Beirut. “ He makes fun of big international players because big international players allow it, affirms the director of Orient XXI. If the United States stops sending weapons to Israel, the war ends in 24 hours. If the European Union decides to suspend the association agreement between Israel and the European Union, Israel’s main trading partner, it will have an impact on the Israeli attitude. Israel violates all Security Council resolutions and there are no consequences. So he continues the war, that’s all. »
“ Which is shocking, explained in July on RFI Francesca AlbaneseUN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territories, is to see the international community, especially Western governments, protect Israel. THE The United States is taking a very dangerous course of aggression towards the United Nations and the organs of justice in defense of a State which, by all accounts, is committing atrocious crimes. Europe is weak. It is about respecting international law (…) Above all, the convention on the prevention of genocide. »
The war that began on October 7, 2023 is the longest war in the history of the State of Israel. “I do not believe that despite the cries of victory from Israel, which has undoubtedly achieved success, this will improve the situation of the country in the region, nor that of the United States, nor that of the West in in general, and Europeans in particular », concludes Alain Gresh. For a year, the whole world has witnessed a disqualification of international law as a basis for conflict resolution. Last May, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations put the UN charter through the shredder after a symbolic vote on Palestinian membership. Today, Antonio Guterres is, in an unprecedented event, persona non grata in Israel by decision of the Israeli government.