Missing is any analysis of what happened in a court far away from the USA and Israel, but which will, over time, have a massive impact. The Hague's decision today to order Israel to prevent genocide, including measures on the battlefield and against public incitement to genocide, and to take "immediate and effective measures" to enable the provision of aid to people in Gaza, and report on its compliance to the court within one month, all of which is legally binding, will see Israel in the dock for years to come, and, America's litigiousness stymying DC's most powerful lobby, will change US policy. It will give licence for many other states and powerful groups around the world to go further, with BDS and other anti-Israel actions.
Saudi has other options, especially with the more appealing PRC. The Arab Street has been emboldened by this war, and MBS and other Gulf rulers will give in to much of its anti-Jewish sentiment, while cracking down on any remaining dissent, all of which would be fine by China but decried by the liberal West.
Israel has comprehensively lost this war, and has left a scar that will be worn like a badge of honour by its opponents for decades to come. At some time in the near future, we will know how many hostages have been killed not by Hamas but by Israeli arms, and that will have an immediate backlash on the Netanyahu government, the USA (and the West) and any negotiations discussed in this column.
Good reporting, as always.
Missing is any analysis of what happened in a court far away from the USA and Israel, but which will, over time, have a massive impact. The Hague's decision today to order Israel to prevent genocide, including measures on the battlefield and against public incitement to genocide, and to take "immediate and effective measures" to enable the provision of aid to people in Gaza, and report on its compliance to the court within one month, all of which is legally binding, will see Israel in the dock for years to come, and, America's litigiousness stymying DC's most powerful lobby, will change US policy. It will give licence for many other states and powerful groups around the world to go further, with BDS and other anti-Israel actions.
Saudi has other options, especially with the more appealing PRC. The Arab Street has been emboldened by this war, and MBS and other Gulf rulers will give in to much of its anti-Jewish sentiment, while cracking down on any remaining dissent, all of which would be fine by China but decried by the liberal West.
Israel has comprehensively lost this war, and has left a scar that will be worn like a badge of honour by its opponents for decades to come. At some time in the near future, we will know how many hostages have been killed not by Hamas but by Israeli arms, and that will have an immediate backlash on the Netanyahu government, the USA (and the West) and any negotiations discussed in this column.
Not gonna happen
Here we sit so patiently, waiting to find out what price, we have to pay to get out of going through all these things twice. (After Bob Dylan.)