Israel’s decision to take over Gaza City has been met with intense condemnation and growing measures against the Jewish state and Israelis worldwide.
Almost two years into its war against the Gaza-based Hamas terrorist organization, Israel finds itself increasingly isolated in the international arena, fighting on several fronts as it quickly loses support for its struggle.
Ceasefire efforts have apparently rekindled as the Israeli military prepares to occupy Gaza City and force its population to head to the southern Gaza Strip, a move that many world leaders have condemned as illegal. The efforts may result in Israel walking back on its plans, but the damage to its international standing may already be irreversible.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been at the helm since 2009, almost consecutively, and is currently heading the country’s furthest Right coalition ever to govern. For years, his critics have accused him of leading Israel toward pariah status (similar to that of South Africa during Apartheid, 1948-1994). While those warnings have yet to materialize, the Israel-Hamas War has pushed Israel perhaps closer than ever before to severe isolation.
“All of the reports point to the fact that the diplomatic tsunami everyone has been warning about for years is getting closer,” Uriel Abulof, an associate professor of politics at Tel Aviv University, told The Media Line.
“Foreign leaders are hoping that Israelis, not their government, will sober up and somehow lead to early elections or that Netanyahu will cave under pressure.”
The string of world leaders announcing that they will recognize a Palestinian state comes in addition to Jews around the world being targeted in a series of alarming antisemitic attacks.
On Sunday, pro-Palestinian groups in Greece called for a “day of rage” against Israeli tourists. The country is a major tourist destination for Israelis, and at the height of the summer season, there was concern over the protests becoming violent.
On Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that his country would impose an arms embargo on its longtime ally in response to Israel’s decision to intensify its war effort in Gaza. Germany is one of Israel’s leading arms suppliers.
“Countries that condemn us and threaten with sanctions will not influence our resolve,” read a statement released Friday by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz. “Gone are the days when Jews do not defend themselves.”
Leaders of Canada, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand also condemned Israel’s plans to occupy Gaza City.
“World leaders haven’t divorced Israel just yet,” said Abulof. However, “The longer Israel is associated with its current far Right coalition, the direction is clear, and it is only a matter of time.”
Also last week, a German soccer club pulled out of signing an Israeli player after fans of Fortuna Düsseldorf protested over the player’s support for Israel’s operations in Gaza, as reflected on his social media accounts.
In Canada on Friday, a visibly Jewish man was beaten in front of his young children in what is believed to have been an antisemitic attack. Incidents of Israelis being kicked out of restaurants in European cities and Israeli artists’ gigs being canceled are becoming more frequent.
“There is a difference between governments and their diplomatic representatives and what we see being done by civil society, which has had tail winds from Israeli government policies,” Abulof said. “Netanyahu has done an excellent job at undermining Israeli legitimacy.”
Ruling out the two-state solution
THE ISRAELI prime minister and his current coalition have ruled out the two-state solution, putting the Jewish state at odds with a majority of the international community. Netanyahu’s refusal throughout the war to discuss the future of Gaza and an alternative to Hamas’s rule has contributed to global criticism, even among some of Israel’s allies.
According to Michael Harari, a former senior Israeli diplomat and a policy fellow at Mitvim – the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies – the latest string of incidents, condemnations, and other diplomatic moves are part of a process that will gradually lead to Israel’s isolation.
“It takes time until you run into a very clear reality,” Harari, a former ambassador to Cyprus, told The Media Line.
“For a while, what we saw was a gap between anti-Israeli public opinion and governments that were more understanding toward Israeli policy in Gaza.
“But democratically elected governments cannot ignore public opinion for long. It is a question of time when governments align with the street.”
During the war, Israel has had to divert significant funds to the effort. According to the Bank of Israel, the war will cost the country up to 10% of its economy. Economic markers, such as foreign direct investment, have declined, and credit rating companies lowered Israel’s ratings early in the war.
The country’s hi-tech sector, which has so far demonstrated resilience, has been witnessing a gradual trend of divestment.
The European Commission has issued proposals to at least temporarily suspend Israel’s access to the Horizon Europe program, the main funding program in the European Union for research and innovation. These proposals have yet to be approved, but the balance could easily be tipped against Israel’s favor as criticism grows louder.
“The process of becoming a pariah state is a difficult one to grasp, and one never really knows when it is coming,” said Harari. “These supposedly little things add up in the end, and while individually they may not impact people’s lives, when accumulated, it will be difficult to ignore.”
“If this continues, it will erode the willingness of Israel’s allies to put themselves on the line for Israel,” he added.
Up until now, even under the previous American administration led by former president Joe Biden, Israel enjoyed American support and veto, critical especially at the UN Security Council, which has the power to impose sanctions.
“Israel still has quite a few good allies, including substantial pockets of support in Europe,” Abulof said. “But there is a continuous effect to all of the moves, and Israel’s financial, military, and intellectual abilities are gradually being harmed.”
'Isolation like the days of Pharaoh'
HANANYA NAFTALI, an expert in international advocacy for Israel, said: “The Jewish people have experienced isolation since the days of Pharaoh in Egypt and the pogroms in Europe, surviving throughout.
“It’s just an excuse for those who think everything will be okay if Israel just stops the war. The problem isn’t that Israel is fighting a just war; the problem is that people don’t like to see the Jewish people strong.”
Israel’s 22-month war against Hamas began with widespread international support as the Jewish state recovered from the largest single-day terrorist attack against it. The attack stunned Israel and much of the international community as Hamas terrorists stormed the southern border on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 Israelis and wounding thousands of others. About 250 people were taken hostage by Hamas during the attack, 50 of whom remain in captivity.
Since then, support for Israel has declined sharply. The offensive Israel launched in response to October 7 has taken a heavy toll on Gaza, and world sympathy for Israel has made room for increasing criticism and condemnation.
According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel since the beginning of the war. Approximately 152,000 Palestinians have been injured. The UN estimates that the majority of the population has been displaced, with tens of thousands of homes reduced to rubble.
The Israel-Hamas War immediately ignited a wider regional conflict, drawing in Hezbollah from Lebanon, triggering a brief direct clash with Iran, and prompting continued rocket fire from Yemen’s Houthis.
While a fragile ceasefire holds with Hezbollah and the Iranian front has quieted, the Gaza battle remains the most intractable, with Netanyahu vowing to occupy the territory to force Hamas to free hostages and relinquish power, a step many allies see as a red line.
Hamas’ attack shocked Israel and pushed much of its Jewish population further toward right-wing positions.
When US President Donald Trump revealed his wish to relocate all of Gaza’s civilian population to other countries, polls in Israel showed a majority in favor of the plan. What was once a contentious idea made its way into Israel’s mainstream.
“Israel is being called by its allies to return to more rational policies,” said Harari. “They are saying they would like to support Israel, but its current policies do not allow them to.”
The announcement by several world leaders that they would recognize a Palestinian state in September is aimed at putting Israel in a tough position as part of greater international pressure.
Governments and international organizations are urging an immediate halt to military operations in Gaza and greater humanitarian access, threatening diplomatic or economic repercussions, citing alleged violations of international law and worsening civilian suffering.
“I hope this won’t lead Israel to stop its just war and its fight for its existence,” said Naftali. “Israel still has millions of supporters around the world.”
As the Israeli army prepares for the new phase of the war and the control of Gaza City, pressure will likely increase.
“There is a clear trend on the level of civil society abroad,” Abulof noted. “But diplomatically, Israel isn’t even close to the ostracism faced by South Africa when it was complete and there were very few countries willing to cooperate with it.”
Ironically or not, one of those countries was Israel, now perhaps on the brink of a similar fate.