Guest Post by Kit Knightly
Almost exactly a year ago, we reported on the procession of nation states recognising the independent state of Palestine.
In the space 48 hours last September, the governments of France, San Marino, Luxembourg, Monaco, Andorra, Malta, the UK, Canada, Portugal and Australia have all announced their recognition of the State of Palestine.
It was the greatest number of countries to recognise Palestine in the same year since 1988, and they all did it the same weekend.
Two days later we updated the story, noting the increased talk of Israel’s “isolation” on the world stage. Noting that even the United States was offering only qualified support for Israel, and even opposed both its bombing of Qatar and settling the West Bank.
Here we are a year later, and we can see a similar pattern emerging.
Yesterday, the UK, France and Canada – alongside nine other countries – announced sweeping joint-sanctions, boycotting any goods produced on illegally occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank.
In his comments to Parliament and in interviews with the media, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband referred to the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians, and called the boycott “the beginning of a new approach” which “not only calls out injustice and suffering but acts”.
Israel responded by ordering the closure the British consulate in Jerusalem.
The press are already referring to Israel’s “deepening isolation”
Just as we saw this time last year, even Trump’s US is verging on hanging Israel out to dry, with multiple reports claiming Trump new of the twelve countries’ planned sanctions ahead of time, and did not oppose them.
So what’s this about? Is it as simple as election pressure and a change of leadership for Israel?
Israel is in the midst of an election year, after all. And Bibi Netanyahu – beset by ever-postponed corruption trials – has been clinging on to power by the very tips of his fingernails for at least the last six years.
Covid bailed him out once, barely, and October 7th bought him some more time…but the writing is very much on the wall.
Speaking of October 7th…a new report has just been published claiming that Netanyahu was warned about the planned terrorist attack and did nothing to prevent it. From what we know of historical terrorist attacks, this is likely the least of it, but that such accusations should make it into the mainstream media is very interesting. They would usually be the remit of the “conspiracy theorist” crowd (us).
The Israeli opposition have already accused Netanyahu of “fuelling diplomatic isolation”, blaming him for the UK-lead boycott, and the running seems to suggest an election defeat looms.
So, is that what this diplomatic isolation is in aid of, a changing of the guard at the top of Israel’s pyramid?
Perhaps. Netanyahu’s potential replacement – Gadi Eisenkot – does seem like a new direction for the country’s brand.
But it could be deeper than that.
The United Nations has come out swinging against the state of Israel in the last 48 hours too.
Secretary General Antonio Gutteres has demanded the IDF withdraw from Lebanon, a special commission has claimed Israel “may have committed war crimes in Syria” and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese claimed Israel may be destroying evidence of atrocities in Gaza AND praised the new sanctions as the beginning of a “true paradigm shift”.
And I can’t but dwell on the timing of these things, with the 25th anniversary of 9/11 so close and the ever increasing discussion of Israeli involvement among the “mainstream alternative” figures like Tucker Carlson.
Last year we reported on the EU’s fund for rebuilding Gaza, in January the United States unveiled its own plans for “New Gaza”. It feels like something is being built towards here, something that may require Israel – willingly or otherwise – become a designated “bad guy” nation.
I wrote, last September:
Almost exactly one year on, evidence continues to mount.
Tweet
Continue reading...
[ H/T The Burning Platform ]
Almost exactly a year ago, we reported on the procession of nation states recognising the independent state of Palestine.
In the space 48 hours last September, the governments of France, San Marino, Luxembourg, Monaco, Andorra, Malta, the UK, Canada, Portugal and Australia have all announced their recognition of the State of Palestine.
It was the greatest number of countries to recognise Palestine in the same year since 1988, and they all did it the same weekend.
Two days later we updated the story, noting the increased talk of Israel’s “isolation” on the world stage. Noting that even the United States was offering only qualified support for Israel, and even opposed both its bombing of Qatar and settling the West Bank.
Here we are a year later, and we can see a similar pattern emerging.
Yesterday, the UK, France and Canada – alongside nine other countries – announced sweeping joint-sanctions, boycotting any goods produced on illegally occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank.
In his comments to Parliament and in interviews with the media, UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband referred to the “ethnic cleansing” of Palestinians, and called the boycott “the beginning of a new approach” which “not only calls out injustice and suffering but acts”.
Israel responded by ordering the closure the British consulate in Jerusalem.
The press are already referring to Israel’s “deepening isolation”
Just as we saw this time last year, even Trump’s US is verging on hanging Israel out to dry, with multiple reports claiming Trump new of the twelve countries’ planned sanctions ahead of time, and did not oppose them.
So what’s this about? Is it as simple as election pressure and a change of leadership for Israel?
Israel is in the midst of an election year, after all. And Bibi Netanyahu – beset by ever-postponed corruption trials – has been clinging on to power by the very tips of his fingernails for at least the last six years.
Covid bailed him out once, barely, and October 7th bought him some more time…but the writing is very much on the wall.
Speaking of October 7th…a new report has just been published claiming that Netanyahu was warned about the planned terrorist attack and did nothing to prevent it. From what we know of historical terrorist attacks, this is likely the least of it, but that such accusations should make it into the mainstream media is very interesting. They would usually be the remit of the “conspiracy theorist” crowd (us).
The Israeli opposition have already accused Netanyahu of “fuelling diplomatic isolation”, blaming him for the UK-lead boycott, and the running seems to suggest an election defeat looms.
So, is that what this diplomatic isolation is in aid of, a changing of the guard at the top of Israel’s pyramid?
Perhaps. Netanyahu’s potential replacement – Gadi Eisenkot – does seem like a new direction for the country’s brand.
But it could be deeper than that.
The United Nations has come out swinging against the state of Israel in the last 48 hours too.
Secretary General Antonio Gutteres has demanded the IDF withdraw from Lebanon, a special commission has claimed Israel “may have committed war crimes in Syria” and UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese claimed Israel may be destroying evidence of atrocities in Gaza AND praised the new sanctions as the beginning of a “true paradigm shift”.
And I can’t but dwell on the timing of these things, with the 25th anniversary of 9/11 so close and the ever increasing discussion of Israeli involvement among the “mainstream alternative” figures like Tucker Carlson.
Last year we reported on the EU’s fund for rebuilding Gaza, in January the United States unveiled its own plans for “New Gaza”. It feels like something is being built towards here, something that may require Israel – willingly or otherwise – become a designated “bad guy” nation.
I wrote, last September:
Almost exactly one year on, evidence continues to mount.
Tweet
Continue reading...
[ H/T The Burning Platform ]
