The USA is calling for a ceasefire, Canada is stopping its arms deliveries, and the EU is also toughening its tone: Israel’s massive action in the Gaza Strip is increasingly worrying even its closest partners in the world.
According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, almost 32,000 people have died since the Israeli army began its massive military operation in the Gaza Strip. More than 74,000 are said to have been injured.
Although these figures cannot be independently verified, the war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by an unprecedented terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7th, in which, according to Israeli information, around 1,160 people were killed and around 250 others were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Nevertheless, in view of the high number of victims and the threat of famine in the Gaza Strip, doubts about the proportionality of the Israeli military deployment are growing, even among close allies in the world.
They are particularly concerned about the Israeli government’s plans to pursue a ground offensive in the overcrowded Rafah in order to completely destroy Hamas. There is great concern about a complete humanitarian catastrophe.
And so the calls for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are becoming increasingly urgent. Is Benjamin Netanyahu losing the support of his closest allies?
USA: Dispute with Netanyahu
The USA has always been one of these allies. So far, Washington has always held its protective hand over Israel in the UN Security Council.
The United States has also used its veto power in the past on several resolutions calling for immediate ceasefires in the war between Israel and Hamas.
But the relationship between the USA and Israel, which is actually so close, has now developed cracks. At the beginning of the week there was said to be a significant argument between US President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call.
Biden described a possible ground offensive in Rafah as a “mistake,” but Netanyahu wants to continue to stick to it regardless.
This offensive is not imminent – Netanyahu himself recently made it clear that preparations for it would still take a few weeks. Nevertheless, the uncompromising stance of the Israeli prime minister, combined with the increasingly catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, caused a rethink of the US position in the UN Security Council.
There, Washington presented a draft resolution that was intended to establish the “need for an immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip. This draft failed on Friday afternoon due to the veto of Russia and China. Nevertheless, it is seen as a clear signal from the USA to increase the pressure on the Netanyahu cabinet in Jerusalem.
This move was accompanied by intensive negotiations on an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners. US Secretary of State Blinken is currently traveling through the Middle East to speak to everyone involved. “It’s getting closer. An agreement is very possible,” Blinken recently said confidently.
Canada: arms deliveries stopped
Canada also sent clear signals to Israel this week. In Ottawa, the Canadian Parliament, with the help of Green and Liberal votes, pushed through a decision to suspend all arms deliveries to Israel for the time being. In addition, Canada should continue to work towards a two-state solution and the associated recognition of its own Palestinian state.
Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly cited the ongoing Israel-Hamas war as the reason for the decision: The situation on the ground, it was said, no longer allowed Canada to export weapons to the region.
Canada is actually considered a close ally of Israel, similar to the USA. However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently came under criticism for repeatedly taking ambiguous positions in the Middle East conflict. In December, Canada approved a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire, without this resolution also calling on Hamas to lay down its weapons.
After allied states and opposition politicians reacted with incomprehension, the government was forced to explain its position in a detailed statement. Even when South Africa filed a genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Trudeau failed to formulate a clear stance on the case.
Trudeau told reporters that Canada supports the ICJ and will “abide by any decision” made by the ICJ. At the same time, however, he refused to say whether Canada shares the accusation of genocide.
The opposition, but also numerous civil society actors, have recently increased the pressure on the Trudeau government to take a clearer position on the Middle East conflict. This is also likely to have led to the arms embargo that has now been implemented, which the government is now willing to implement, even though the Canadian Parliament’s vote is not legally binding. This makes Canada one of a number of countries that have now stopped arms exports to Israel, including Japan, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain.
EU summit: pressure on Israel is increasing
Spain in particular has become one of the harshest critics of the Israeli military operation within the European Union. Together with his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar, who has since announced his resignation, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called on the EU Commission to review the EU’s association agreement with Israel.
They doubted that Israel would live up to its obligations under it, “which makes respect for human rights and democratic principles an essential element of the relationship.” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock rejected the proposal – and in fact it was not put up for discussion at the EU summit currently taking place.
Nevertheless, the 27 EU heads of state and government agreed on Thursday evening on a joint statement on the Middle East conflict, which is intended to make the Israeli government more accountable than before. The statement calls for an immediate ceasefire that should “lead to a sustainable ceasefire, the unconditional release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip and the provision of humanitarian assistance.”
It also calls on the Israeli government not to launch a ground offensive in Rafah. It was the first joint statement from all 27 European member states on the Israel-Hamas war in five months.
Author: Thomas Latschan