Netanyahu has reached – sweetly – the boundaries of the patience of his allies

European countries are under pressure, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows. Under pressure from « the Muslimness in their countries. » And from the « public opinion, which stimulates Hamas propaganda. » That is the reason, Netanyahu said on Thursday at the first press conference he gave in six months, that those countries condemn the new Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The offensive, which started a week ago and consists of severe bombing and ground surgery, has already cost at least five hundred lives. In various places in Gaza, citizens were again forced to move. And although Israel left some flour, baby food and medicines to the besieged area for the first time this week, according to experts that is by no means enough.

No more friendly

With its intensification of the violence, Israel increases its own isolation. Whereas most Western countries joined Israel just after the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, the Israeli story about the military necessity of the extermination campaign is no longer a breakdown. The words that politicians and diplomats exchange back and forth are no longer friendly.

For many Western countries the size was full last week. The left-liberal Israeli newspaper Haaretz even spoke of a « political tsunami ». For example, the European Union, on the initiative of Dutch Minister Caspar Veldkamp (Foreign Affairs, NSC), is investigating whether Israel will still comply with the EU-Israel Association Convention, which states that human rights and democratic principles must be respected. Faithful Israeli allies such as Germany and Italy voted against – but they too expressed their concerns about the offensive.

The United Kingdom, France and Canada threatened on Thursday with sanctions if Israel does not stop the offensive and allows substantial emergency aid. The UK also established sanctions against three Israeli settlers accused of calling for violence on the occupied West Bank. Moreover, the British would consider sanctions against the extreme right-wing ministers Bezalel Smotrich (Finance) and ITAMAR BEN-GVIR (National Security). The EU was also considering putting more settlers on the sanction list this week, but a proposal was stopped by Hungary.

Especially the language from London was not wrong. After Smotrich had embarked on Monday that his country is’ purifying ‘and’ everything is still destroyed about it, ”said British minister David Lammy (Foreign Affairs):“ We must call this as it is: it is extremist, it is dangerous, it is sampling and I condemn it in the strongest in the strongest. ”

Pariah

Those words have arrived in Israel. Several politicians, diplomats and media have expressed their concerns about the status of their country as a paria in the international community. Opposition politician Yair Golan (Democratic Party), a former general who fulfilled a hero role during the attack of Hamas on 7 October by saving people on his own, compared the threatening parias with that of South Africa during the apartheid regime.

The Israeli government is not entirely deaf to international criticism. For example, Netanyahu said he felt forced to allow emergency aid to Gaza again because « images of massive famine » would not help the Israeli matter. Minister Smotrich also referred to international support as a reason to provide food. « For Netanyahu, the humanitarian crisis is a PR problem, » Haaretz wrote in his editorial commentary.

Yet in response to Western criticism, Israel puts around. The sharp words of the British minister Lammy, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, arise from an « anti-Israel obsession ». And in response to the sanctions of the UK, France and Canada, Smotrich said that his country will not bow to « moral hypocrisy, anti -Semitism and one -sidedness. »

The British minister David Lammy (Foreign Affairs) said about the recent statements of Smotrich: « We must call this as it is: it is extremist, it is dangerous, it is repellent, it is monstrous and I condemn it in the strongest possible terms. »

Photo AFP/Handout/House of Commons

The Western critics of Israel cannot exactly be called enemies. Lammy did not only have criticism; He also wanted « a strong friendship, based on shared values, with flowering tires. » That is the language of a worried friend rather than an enemy.

Warning shots

Two events have driven the disagreement even further. First the Israeli army fired on Wednesday when a Western diplomatic delegation was visiting the Jenin refugee camp, in the occupied West Bank. It would have been warning shots because the delegation was deviated from the prescribed path. The incident, in which no one was injured, led to fierce convictions in European capitals. You don’t shoot at diplomats.

Later that day a man in Washington DC shot two employees of the Israeli embassy dead, with the exclamation of the slogan « Freedom for Palestine! » Both in the US and in Israel, the double murder and anti -Semitic was labeled. The suspect of the murder said at his arrest: « I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza. »

Netanyahu knew who was responsible: the leaders of France, Canada and the UK. « I say to President Macron, Prime Minister Carney and Prime Minister Starmer: when mass murderers, rapists, baby killers and kidnappers thank you, you are on the wrong side of justice. You are on the wrong side of humanity, and you are on the wrong side of history. »

Minister Gideon Sa’ar (Foreign Affairs) also pointed to the « suspension » in Europe: « Maternity about genocide, crimes against humanity and the killing of babies paves the way for such murders. » France called the comments of the Israeli ministers « excessive ».

Especially the reproach that Israel kills babies evokes a lot of anger. When opposition politician Golan expressed his fear of an Israel pariatic status, he also said: « A healthy state does not go war against citizens, does not kill babies like a hobby and sets himself no goals such as drifting a population. » Many members of the coalition accused him of fueling anti -Semitism. According to the Gazan Ministry of Health, Israel has killed more than 16,500 children in Gaza for the past year and a half, including 916 zero -year -olds.

Where the Israeli leaders dig themselves up, Haim Regev, the Israeli ambassador for the EU, is a lot more self -critical. It is also up to Israel itself that European countries are losing their patience with the country, he said. « For a year and a half we overpower them with hostage stories. For this war we had longer legitimacy than ever before. Now they see mass destruction, babies, 70 percent destroyed, tens of thousands of kill. They say: do you want to get the hostages free? Stop the war and let them free. »

The Israeli government accuses its critics with great regularity of anti -Semitism. But that reproaches, according to Regev, begins to be: « We use it too often. »

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