Against all requests, including from its international allies, Israel decided, in the midst of negotiating a ceasefire, to carry out an offensive in Rafah. Then, the United States, which until then had tried its best to justify Israel’s need for territorial defense, decided to stop sending bombs to Tel Aviv. This is because the only condition to be able to justify this attack was the guarantee that the humanitarian corridors to Gaza were not cut; but they were. Israel argues that only the ground invasion in Rafah allowed them to weaken Hamas’ military structures – which would also grant them greater power in negotiations. But most of the victims of the attack turned out to be innocent people. And to make matters worse, it is not possible for any country to defend the discovery of graves where Palestinians were buried alive, even if the Israelis deny these accusations.
For the first time, Biden recognizes his role in the war, in the death of innocent people, and this decision could very well change the conflict. Several NATO members have finally realized that they are being complicit in ethnic cleansing. And for Israel, giving up its relations with the West condemns it to loneliness in the Middle East, deprived of political and economic support.
The Israeli Prime Minister, now under greater pressure to accept a less than ideal ceasefire, continues to see the eradication of Hamas as the only solution for lasting peace. But the collateral damage of this condition involves, among others, the genocide of a people. In fact, at this moment this is exactly what we observe. More than 34,000 Palestinians have died at the hands of the Israelis. It means that, since October 7th, for every Israeli, at least 30 Palestinians have died. More people die every day than in any other war in the 21st century. Daily fatalities, according to Oxfam, reach 250, which means that a thousand people die every four days, and by the end of the week that number has almost doubled.
We talk about two neighbors, with completely different views of the world. And recent memory does not allow them to accept a shared future. Even before this war, there was never really peace. There was division, hatred, racism, oppression, and these issues cannot be ignored after an agreement. Because in maintaining these values, now exacerbated, a cyclical future is envisaged. It is important to realize that the future of Gaza and the Palestinian people will not be written without Hamas. But an Israel that changes its behavior towards the Palestinians weakens extremism, which can only take refuge in History, losing arguments in the present. The international effort must focus on identifying the foundations for a common future, also reconciling with a side that has been clearly ignored.
*Executive Director of PLATAFORMA
