Israel’s violation of sovereignty and the West’s support
During its short-term history, Israel has consistently demonstrated a troubling disregard for the sovereignty of others. Let’s not forget that the establishment of Israel was based on the displacement of the native inhabitants of the land of Palestine. In today’s carefree world, the unruly child also occasionally launches attacks on neighboring territories, spanning Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq. In addition to these aggressive acts, it engages in territory annexations and expands settlements in the West Bank.
Israel is internationally recognized as the occupying power in the West Bank, including East Al-Quds (Jerusalem), as well as in Syria, including Golan Heights, without any punishment. Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 war and formally annexed the territory in 1981, prompting the UN Security Council to unanimously pass a resolution condemning the move and reasserting the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force.
Its breach of walls of sovereignty has consistently been met only with expressions of regret or occasional condemnation; however, no consequential punishment has ensued. The Security Council has not issued any punitive resolution, which would be impactful, as decisions from the council are legally binding upon all UN member states.
The United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, notably supported Israel in recognizing Israeli claims to Syria’s occupied Golan Heights during the Trump presidency in 2019. The decision, widely denounced, has not been reversed by the Biden administration, indicating continued US support for Israel in this matter.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the United Nations Security Council last May, when powerful states flout the rules of international law, “it sends the message that others can break those rules with impunity”.
Also, under the pretext of self-defense, the regime conducts attacks on the territories of other states. Its most recent aggression involved airstrikes targeting southern Syria, near the capital Damascus. The regime has for years targeted what it calls Iran-linked positions in Syria.
As a sign of the terrorist nature of the Zionist regime, a veteran member of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), serving as a military adviser in Syria, was killed in an Israeli attack. This incident follows previous attacks in December that claimed the lives of two military advisers. Syrian air defenses have successfully intercepted most Israeli missiles near the capital, highlighting an escalation in the regime’s aggressive actions against the country. The strike occurred a day after the reopening of Damascus International Airport, which had faced repeated Israeli attacks.
Israel rarely comments on strikes targeting Syria, but it has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran, which backs President Bashar al-Assad’s government, to expand its presence in the country. Iran maintains an advisory mission in Syria at the request of the Arab country with the aim of helping Damascus get rid of the foreign-backed militants who have been fighting the democratically-elected government there since 2011. Many see the Israeli move as a knee-jerk reaction to the Syrian government’s success in confronting and decimating terrorism.
In Lebanon, Israel also wants the Hezbollah resistance movement to abide by a 2006 UN cease-fire agreement that states the border area in southern Lebanon must be “free of any armed personnel, assets and weapons” other than Lebanese government forces and UN peacekeepers. Under the resolution, Hezbollah should not have a military presence in the border region.
Lebanon, meanwhile, argues that Israel violates the resolution with its air force’s frequent entry into Lebanese airspace and by its presence in Chebaa Farms, a disputed area along the country’s border with the Golan Heights.
In continuation of its support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah fighters have been attacking Israeli posts along the border. Israeli tanks, artillery and aircraft have been striking areas on the Lebanese side of the border. The fighting has been mostly brief, but almost daily.
Human rights groups and local officials have also accused Israel of hitting Lebanese border areas with shells containing white phosphorus, a controversial incendiary munition. The strikes have burned hundreds of hectares of farmland and woodland and injured civilians. Israel claims all its actions conform with international law.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has recently said that Hezbollah must respect the 2006 cease-fire. Otherwise, he warned, Nasrallah “must understand that he’s next.”
The regime also on Jan. 2 orchestrated another terrorist act in Lebanon that resulted in the death of prominent Hamas figure Saleh al-Arouri.
In another apparent threat, former prime minister Naftali Bennett threatened Iran, saying “The US and Israel must set the clear goal of bringing down” the Islamic Republic.
With Israel itself being the source of endless war and terror, Bennett points accusatory fingers at Iran in an article, considering it “the center of most of the Middle East’s problems and much of global terror”.
“There are many ways to weaken Iran: empower domestic opposition, ensure internet continuity during riots against the regime, strengthen its enemies, increase sanctions and economic pressures. But Israel can’t and shouldn’t do this alone. The US should be leading the effort,” he wrote.
He also acknowledged that Israel destroyed a UAV base on Iranian soil, another case of its sovereignty violation. The former prime minister also confessed to the assassination of a commander in the center of Tehran, claiming he was a member of an Iranian team that had a role in a failed attempt to kill Israeli tourists in Turkey in March 2022.
All this horror, terror, and violation of countries’ sovereignty go unanswered by the international community, without a serious reaction.
The ongoing question revolves around whether the West, particularly the United States, has an obligation to support Israel.