Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz gave a clear example of what happens when colonialism in its current form – with genocide as its armour – is capable of when left unchecked. On Monday this week, Katz declared that Israel will not withdraw from territories it occupied in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza. The superficial reason given was “to defend the border and Israeli communities against jihadist elements.” That is a security narrative the West will not argue against.
The real reason, however, is land theft. Katz also described the Israeli military’s current territorial occupation “as a major lesson from the October 7th massacre”.
“We oppose the withdrawal of the IDF from Lebanon despite all existing pressures and those that may come in the future,” Katz announced, also noting that US President Donald Trump and senior US officials knew about Israel’s stance.
Katz’s statement should have alarmed the entire international community, as it makes the point that no diplomatic endeavours can halt or overturn Israel’s colonial expansion.
It should also have alerted the international community that the only relevant diplomacy in one in which Israel sets the narrative. This has been the case for decades, but genocide has reinforced what stayed more in the shadows until recently.
Until the genocide in Gaza, the international community could pretend it was taking action by focusing on scattered but consistent forced displacement, turning the narrative to humanitarian aid. It could pretend that condemning Israel – rhetorically of course – was a course of action, even as more Palestinians were ethnically cleansed. The genocide in Gaza changed everything.
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Katz is also referring to the genocide as a milestone in terms of Israel’s colonial expansion. While the international community was busy debating humanitarian pauses for Gaza, Israel remained busy with its plans to colonise the territory. When the US 20-point plan was announced, the international community was focused on rebuilding Gaza and what role it would play, even as many refused to participate in the Board of Peace. Israel, meanwhile, expanded beyond the yellow line in Gaza and Netanyahu recently announced that the next goal is to seize 70 per cent of the land.
Israeli officials also openly boasted of using the same tactics that destroyed Gaza to facilitate territorial conquest in Lebanon. The Israeli military is also using demarcations in Lebanon similar to the Yellow Line in Gaza, under the pretext of security concerns.
However, the connection that is not made enough is how all the colonial land theft ties in to Israeli expansion. It is not enough to link Israel’s actions in Lebanon to Gaza. What matters most is that Israel has by now held the entire international community hostage to its Greater Israel concept.
Before it was ideology and gradual expansion. Israel has now moved the process to genocide and acceptance of genocide by the international community. Meanwhile, the international community has not shifted from its periodic concerns and from its humanitarian paradigm. Katz has openly stated that neither current nor future diplomatic endeavours will stop Israel. What role will the international community be playing, since Israel is exterminating the diplomatic veneer?
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