Musings on Competing Global Networks That Support Ukraine and Israel

By Rudy Barnes, Jr., January 27, 2024

Thomas Friedman has described global networks in the Ukraine-Russian War and the Israel-Gaza War that reflect “a titanic geopolitical struggle between two opposing networks of nations and nonstate actors who have a lot of common interests and will dominate our post-Cold War following the Pax Americana/globalization era after the fall of the Berlin Wall.”

 “On one side is the Resistance Network, dedicated to preserving closed, autocratic systems where the past buries the future. On the other side is the Inclusion Network, trying to forge more open, connected, pluralizing systems where the future buries the past.”  The two networks are dynamic and shift members and alliances from time to time.

Friedman sees “the U.S. indirectly degrading Russia’s capabilities through its proxy Ukraine, while in the Middle East Iran is sitting back comfortably — indirectly at war with Israel and America, and sometimes Saudi Arabia, by fighting through Tehran’s proxies: Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria and Shiite militias in Iraq.”

News coverage of the Israeli-Gaza war has provided ample evidence of Netanyahu’s war crimes in Gaza.  Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas terrorists, but it’s a war crime for Israel to kill over 25,000 noncombatants and destroy essential public facilities.  In a similar fashion Russia has bombed civilian structures in its unprovoked aggression in Ukraine.  

Netanyahu has stated that he has no intention of ending Israel’s continuing illegal aggression that violates international humanitarian law and the Law of War.  Even so, America has continued to fund Israeli aggression and to supply Israel with arms.  In an election year with Biden running for President, it’s amazing that this is not a major political issue.

For America to avoid being an accomplice to Israeli war crimes it should immediately cease providing funds and war materials to Israel until it ceases its unlawful aggression.  In an election year Congress should be debating future funding for Israel, and President Biden should be challenged as the Democratic nominee for president.

Biden’s unwillingness to challenge Netanyahu’s aggression in Gaza is reminiscent of Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler in 1938; and Putin’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine is also similar to Hitler’s strategy in Eastern Europe.  At least the British had a lively debate on the issue before acquiescing to Hitler’s aggression in the Munich Agreement, and what became World War II  .

Israel has been an occupying power in Gaza since the 1967 war, but it has failed to comply with its obligations to provide essential services for Gaza civilians.  After the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, Israel’s IDF has reportedly killed over 25,000 Palestininans and destroyed their homes and essential public facilities.  That’s genocide, and Israel should be held accountable for its war crimes.

Notes:

On Thomas Friedman’s, A Titanic Geopolitical Struggle Is Underway, see https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/opinion/israel-gaza-war-ukraine.html.

On Chamberlain’s appeasement of Hitler in 1938, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeasement; on the Genocide Convention, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide_Convention.

On The Stakes of the Lawsuit Alleging Biden is Complicit in Palestinian Genocide, see  

https://time.com/6588752/biden-lawsuit-israel-palestinian-genocide/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sfmc&utm.; see also, Top UN court stops short of ordering cease-fire in Gaza and demands Israel contain deaths. Israel is set to hear whether the United Nations’ top court will order it to end its military offensive in Gaza in a provisional ruling while the panel hears a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. Israel says South Africa distorting the truth in ICJ genocide case. Netanyahu slams genocide case as ‘outrageous’ and says Israel will continue to defend itself, at https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-genocide-court-south-africa-27cf84e16082cde798395a95e9143c06.

On Israel building a buffer zone along Gaza border risking new rift with U.S., see  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67944903.

On Netanyahu turning against Biden, see https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/19/opinion/israel-war-netanyahu.html.

On British MP Shapp being “disappointed” by Netanyahu’s opposition to a Palestinian state, see https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-68046625.