Dr John Mohan Razu
Global political templates are changing swiftly than before. In times of COVID-19 it is gaining momentums. In tune to the changing global political contours, regional power equations are also shifting at alarming levels. The nature of changing political contours is going to drastically change the political nature of Israel in the coming months. The current government headed by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be under intense pressure. Netanyahu has been having a gala time under the patronage of the American President Donald Trump.
Both of them enjoy as they push white racism and Zionism as part of their far-right politics. Israeli PM Netanyahu in his election campaigns said that after his victory in the recently election he would go all out for annexation of 30 per cent of West Bank. West Bank belongs to Palestinians and its annexation goes against the tenets of the international law and yet he made a bold statement about it and won the elections. How can one annex somebody’s land trespassing and violating international laws and conventions?
It shows sheer arrogance and audacity of Benjamin Netanyahu. He is far-right extremist flexes his muscle as he has a strong ally on his side. Thus far PM Netanyahu has not implemented and in restraint could perhaps be fifty five per cent of Israelis say that annexation should never happen or his coalition partners in the current government without their support he would have formed the government do not subscribe to the idea of annexation.
It’s a basic civility and minimal requirement in a world of rule of law that one should not annex someone land/territory that does not belong to them, but Israelis have been successful as Jewish settlement throughout the eastern mountains of the Land of Israel has expanded increasingly over the past five decades. Far-right extremists bring in Judea and Samaria to authenticate and endorse these as their points of reference in order to support their arguments that lack merit and substance. Whenever they are questioned they keep invoking them as their referral points.
Occupation of parts of Gaza Strip and Golan Heights, moving American embassy to Jerusalem, settlements in most parts of lands belonging to the Palestinians had drawn huge criticism across the world. Nothing has deterred the State of Israel as they have a strong ally vis-à-vis Trump. Over and above the far-rightists and Zionists refer biblical history to justify their claims. Biblical history and international laws and conventions are entirely different. Biblical or ancestral history shall never meet the international legal compliances and conventions.
Bible is a sacred book for Christians and in what ways it is linked to territorial disputes and conflicts. So it has nothing to do with international laws and jurisprudence. Far-rightist depend on the biblical history and justify annexation. Nonetheless Netanyahu and far-right ideologues are yet to offer a formal declaration. Many Israelis are of the opinion that annexation is going to trigger, escalate, and intensify conflicts in the Middle East and therefore should be stopped. But Benjamin Netanyahu promised that if he became Israel’s PM he would annex one-third of West Bank and regularize all the settlements in and around the land of Palestine.
Netanyahu won the election with a fractured mandate and somehow formed the government with the help of other parties. Even in the United States and other parts of the world majority of the Jews oppose annexation. .Israel shall not annex the lands belonging to Palestinians—what is not theirs—international law. Despite the international condemnation Israeli forces with its brutal force and tacit approval of the government of Israel went ahead and occupied the West Bank disregarding appeals from the United Nations as well.
Biblical texts though highlight the history of Israel do not concur with the secular history of Israel. Biblical history and colonial history are two different histories. For example, Balfour declaration of 1917 consisting of just 67 words that rips open the intricacies and fallacies of the “British colonial history” and the nature and character of Israel as the land belonged to the Palestinians arbitrarily went into the hands of Israelis which does not offer any right to have dominion over it or extends the State of Israel the rights over annexation.
The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 announcing its support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine known then as Ottoman region initiated by Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the British Jewish community. Going by the biblical narratives and ancestral history, Israel shall never justify its illegal and unlawful annexation. Israel has flouted international laws based on its justification over what the biblical texts infer.
It should again be reiterated that the Bible is not a legal document and has nothing to do with the international laws and conventions. Evidence to the connection of the disputed sites raises serious concerns over Israel’s claims. Two or three former Prime Ministers of Israel, some defense ministers and jurists at large rejected annexation that goes diametrically against the interests of Israel and so annexation is morally and legally wrong. Failing to respect history and abide by the agreement arrived at in Oslo would lead to apartheid and so the current government has to choose whether to reject peace proposal or accept two-state theory.
Window of opportunity for the current government is about to close or come to a close. November polls seem to be favoring Joe Biden of Democratic Party and if he wins he has already hinted that he would not support annexation and whatever Trump did he would reverse. American Jews barring a few views the current impasse as deeply disturbing and say that it is monumental stupidity. Countries such as Great Britain, EU and many in Germany and many others within the region and across by and large are opposed to annexation.
Israel is going to face looming isolation. Israel currently is in the hands of extremists’. These are the testing times for Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel and the government Israel which should carefully navigate its move. During his regime with the help of Trump he went erratic and did whatever he wanted to push his Zionist politics and now it’s a matter of time. Further, COVID-19 has totally devastated as escalated the unemployment rate to18 per cent. Further, tourism, formal and informal sectors are also facing severe problems. As against this background, if trade embargo and sanctions are imposed in the formats of economic isolationism such as economic boycotts it would severely affect Israel and so it cannot be complacent in the coming months and years. The scenario should change and so the history.
