Experts criticise Israeli policies, highlight growing int’l support for Palestine

AMMAN — Ancient Greeks believed in the existence of one war that was epitomised in Ares, a god of war and courage. The modern man often sees inducements for the conflict while real causes for the war remain unclear to him. 

The war on Gaza is just an episode in a series of perpetual conflicts between Zionism and Arabs, which started more than a century ago with first settlers who came from Europe to Palestine. Whoever thinks that the recent escalation can be seen as an isolated episode is wrong. 

The current Israeli government, led by Messianic Zionists, plans the re-occupation of not only the Gaza Strip, but the West Bank as well as ethnic cleansing of Arabs from historical Palestine. 

The objective of Kahanists in the Cabinet of prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu is to transfer Palestinians to neighbouring countries and complete a process started in 1948 with Nakba. 

The Gaza campaign is still far from being over and the Zionist entity opened multiple fronts. The aim of Israeli far-right circles is to drag the US and other local players into a long-term conflict, political instability and havoc.

The indiscriminate bombardment of Gaza drew criticism from the UN, the EU, Russia, China, South Africa and other relevant international factors. 

Also, for the past two to three decades hasbara loses a media war in Europe and the US. Moving towards a long-term re-occupation of Gaza and the West Bank will totally expose the real nature of Zionism as a settler colonial project. 

Like other European settlers who populated colonies overseas, Zionists thought of changing the ethnic picture of Palestine and turning the autochthonous population into third class citizens. 

More and more states, international organisations (the International Court of Justice, International Criminal Court), academic institutions and commercial entities are boycotting Israel. 

These measures affect both Israel and individuals affiliated with far-right Israeli groups and lobbies. The public opinion has been rapidly shifting towards multilateral action to bring about the creation of a Palestinian state. 

Spain, Ireland, Norway and Slovenia officially recognised Palestine and “we can expect more countries to follow a suit.”

“Traditionally in Spain, the Arab-Zionist conflict has been one of the very rare occasions when there has been a bipartisan agreement from both right and left parties/social factions,” underlined Professor of Architecture and Archaeology at the German-Jordanian University Ignasio Arce. 

“On the one hand, the Franco far-right regime found in Arab states one of a few unconditional diplomatic supports during the isolation period after WWII," Arce added.

On the other hand, Arce continued, the left grew support of the Arab-Palestinian cause in response to the unfair treatment delivered by the Zionists to the occupied population of Palestine. 

“This was the case even till the end of the 1990s: I remember prime minister Aznar from the Popular Party visiting Gaza in 1999 and inaugurating the Gaza airport (built with EU funds and later destroyed by the Israelis) where he made a strong speech in support of the two-state solution and free Palestine,” the professor said. 

"Now things have shifted altogether towards far-right positions worldwide. That same Aznar now stands in full and unconditional support of Zionists denying even the recognition of Palestine or VOX that openly backed Netanyahu after the recognition of Palestine by the leftist government of Pedro Sanchez,” said Arce.

“Regrettably, this consensus that once existed doesn't stand anymore due to this new international scenario with rampant far-right movements that are gaining ground worldwide. However, the majority of Spaniards support the Palestinian cause despite this shift of the right-wing parties," Arce elaborated.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin continues to play an active role in negotiations between Palestinian factions and Israel: “Russia positioned itself clearly in the Middle Eastern conflict as it condemned Israeli massacres in Gaza," noted Professor Stevan Gajic from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

Gajic added that Russia tried many times to organise peace conferences between Palestinian and Israeli sides, and different Palestinian faction have been well received in Moscow.

"Leaders of Hamas and other fighting groups, who were not recognised by the international community, were well received as legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people," Gajic, who also works at the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade as research associate, underlined, adding that Russian officials clearly criticise Israeli unilateral policies of ethnic cleansing and genocide.  

"It is very interesting that in the Serbian society dominate pro-Palestinian sentiments since most of people identify with Arabs as victims of so-called Western political centres, particularly the US," Gajic underlined, noting that after the escalation of October 7 Serbs sympathies with Palestinians.

Social studies, graffities and discussions on social media clearly show that the majority of participants condemn Israeli war crimes against Palestinian civilians, the professor said.

Serbia officially recognised Palestine and Palestinian Ambassador Mohammad Namoura often talks about the current political turmoil on Serbian TV programmes, Gajic underlined, noting that nowadays it is very difficult to find Serbian scholars who would openly support Israel and the Zionist narratives.