Settler colonialism continues, the world will become a new hell

The tragedy unfolding in Gaza today is not merely a military clash or a short lived war between Israel and Palestinian armed groups. It is the most acute expression of settler colonialism, a mode of domination that, as Lorenzo Veracini explains in Settler Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview (2010), does not simply exploit resources but seeks to eliminate indigenous populations and replace them with settlers.

Since the Nakba of 1948, Israel’s project in Palestine has been propelled by this logic of elimination: mass expulsions, the destruction of villages, illegal settlement construction, and systematic policies aimed at shrinking Palestinian space. Gaza, with its total blockade and devastating bombardments of civilian infrastructure, represents the extreme edge of this process. Gilbert Achcar, in Gaza Catastrophe: The Genocide in World-Historical Perspective (2024), identifies this as a form of structural genocide: the annihilation of a people not only through direct killing but also by destroying the conditions necessary for life itself.

Israel repeatedly cloaks these actions in the language of “self-defense.” Yet such rhetoric is a thin veil for colonial aggression. Gaza demonstrates how settler colonialism operates in the twenty-first century: a genocide broadcast in real time while the world remains paralyzed in stopping it.

Global complicity: The United States, Europe, and the Muslim World

Israel could not sustain its settler-colonial project without the backing of the United States. This support is not simply strategic but deeply ideological. The United States itself is a settler-colonial state built upon the dispossession and near-erasure of Native Americans. Washington thus sees Israel not only as a geopolitical ally but as a mirror of its own origins.

At every international forum, the US wields its veto power to shield Israel from accountability. The rhetoric of democracy and security is mobilised to legitimise what is, in practice, open genocide. Achcar describes this as imperial complicity: the active role of an imperial power in enabling mass atrocity. The effect is corrosive: international law loses credibility, and precedents are set for other aggressors. If Israel is allowed to expand by force, Russia feels justified in Ukraine, and India grows bolder in Kashmir.

Europe, meanwhile, remains ambivalent. Germany, haunted by the legacy of the Holocaust, grants Israel near-unconditional support. France voices more criticism yet ultimately aligns with the transatlantic consensus. Arab states are no less contradictory: while pro-Palestinian rhetoric abounds, normalization with Israel through the Abraham Accords reveals where elites’ true interests lie.

Muslim majority nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan raise their voices forcefully at international forums, but these interventions carry little global weight without material power. The one actor with the potential to counterbalance US hegemony is China, yet Beijing’s stance remains cautious. It invokes peace and a two-state solution but avoids tangible pressure on Israel. This ambiguity underscores a sobering truth: even as American influence wanes, no other power has stepped forward with moral clarity or decisive action on Palestine.

Gaza as the epicenter of global geopolitics

The consequences of Gaza extend far beyond Palestine. The enclave has become the epicenter of a broader geopolitical crisis. Russia, for instance, interprets Israel’s impunity as a precedent for its own actions in Ukraine. If America’s ally can expand territory under the banner of security, why not Moscow? Such logic raises the spectre of direct confrontation with NATO, even the possibility of a Third World War.

China, too, watches Gaza closely as it contemplates Taiwan. The muted global reaction to Israel’s onslaught signals to Beijing that a future invasion might not provoke decisive international resistance, particularly as US credibility as a security guarantor continues to erode.

In South Asia, Kashmir remains volatile. India has adopted many Israeli tactics: settlements, demographic engineering, and military repression. Pakistan, in turn, uses Gaza to highlight parallels with Kashmir, deepening an already tense rivalry.

The Caucasus region mirrors these dynamics as well. Azerbaijan, buoyed by Turkish support, presses harder against Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. Gaza provides a grim lesson: ethnic cleansing can proceed with little fear of international intervention.

Meanwhile, Israel itself expands its military footprint across the region, striking at neighbouring Arab countries under the guise of security. These operations are not simply defensive but part of a broader strategy to cement regional hegemony under US protection. Yet such expansion risks igniting a wider Middle Eastern war.

All of this reinforces a central perception: the United States, once seen as the guarantor of world order, has lost credibility. The world now sees its naked double standards — championing Ukrainian sovereignty while ignoring Palestinian annihilation. Global pessimism grows, while Israel exploits the moment to seize as much land as possible before American power declines further.

Gaza as the world’s mirror

Gaza is not only a Palestinian tragedy. It is a mirror reflecting the collapse of the global order. Israel’s settler colonialism, its structural genocide, and the complicity of imperial powers create a dangerous precedent for the entire world. International institutions are paralyzed, major powers employ double standards, and smaller nations are left defenseless.

Looking forward, two scenarios loom. In one, Israel consolidates permanent territorial expansion, at the cost of igniting regional war. In the other, American hegemony unravels, creating openings for new powers, though with no guarantee that these powers will act more justly. In both scenarios, Gaza remains the epicenter of crisis.

Palestine sits at the intersection of colonialism, imperialism, and international failure. Unless the world confronts the settler-colonial logic head-on, Gaza’s tragedy will repeat itself, not only in the Middle East but in Ukraine, Taiwan, Kashmir, and beyond. Gaza is a warning: without fundamental change in the global order, humanity faces a future of endless wars.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.