Israel’s crimes in Gaza and the United States’ waning credibility

The latest round of violence in Gaza has once again revealed the unrelenting brutality of Israel’s military operations against Palestinians. In recent months, Israeli strikes have devastated civilian infrastructure, killed thousands of non-combatants, and deepened the humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged enclave. As the UN Secretary General António Guterres recently stated, “Nowhere is safe in Gaza. The scale of civilian casualties cannot be justified and must not be normalised.” Yet the violence has not remained confined to Gaza alone. Reports of Israeli targeting of Qatar’s diplomatic initiatives, alongside provocative actions toward other Middle Eastern states, underscore a pattern of reckless aggression enabled by a morally bankrupt leadership under Benjamin Netanyahu.

At the heart of this crisis lies Israel’s policy of impunity. Netanyahu’s government has adopted an increasingly unapologetic stance toward international law and global opinion. Civilian deaths in Gaza are dismissed as collateral damage, humanitarian corridors are treated as tactical inconveniences, and ceasefire negotiations are undermined at will. Amnesty International has described Israel’s recent conduct as “a flagrant disregard for international humanitarian law, amounting to war crimes.” Instead of accountability, the Israeli government doubles down on a narrative of eternal victimhood, portraying every act of resistance as terrorism and every call for justice as antisemitism.

For decades, American influence has shielded Israel from meaningful consequences. The United States has exercised its veto at the United Nations Security Council to block resolutions critical of Israel, provided billions of dollars in military assistance annually, and framed Israeli security as sacrosanct. However, recent events expose a significant shift. Netanyahu’s defiance of US appeals for restraint in Gaza, as well as his dismissive attitude toward American concerns over regional escalation, signal a profound erosion of American leverage. Israel acts increasingly as an independent aggressor, no longer as a strategic partner mindful of its patron’s guidance. As one former US diplomat candidly admitted, “Washington has lost the power to say no to Netanyahu.”

This decline in US influence is not merely a diplomatic inconvenience; it has far-reaching consequences for regional stability. Israel’s recent hostilities toward Qatar, a state that has consistently mediated between Hamas and the broader international community, illustrate its disregard for constructive diplomacy. By targeting Qatar’s role, Israel undermines one of the few channels capable of easing tensions and facilitating humanitarian relief. Likewise, provocations directed at Lebanon and threats toward Iran risk dragging the region into a wider conflict. The Netanyahu government seems less concerned with peace than with perpetuating a cycle of violence that bolsters its domestic political survival.

What is perhaps most troubling is the muted response from many Middle Eastern governments. With few exceptions, Arab and Muslim states have reacted with little more than rhetorical condemnation. The normalisation trend initiated by the Abraham Accords continues to exert a chilling effect on regional solidarity with Palestinians. Economic interests, security cooperation, and the pursuit of Western approval appear to outweigh the moral imperative of opposing apartheid and occupation. The silence of key players like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in the face of Israeli atrocities reflects not only a strategic calculation but also a moral abdication.

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Yet amid this silence, there remain voices of resistance. Countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, though geographically distant from the conflict, have consistently used international forums to champion the Palestinian cause. Both have refused normalisation with Israel, upheld strong domestic solidarity with Palestinians, and advocated at the United Nations for measures ranging from boycotts to recognition of Palestinian statehood. Their moral clarity contrasts sharply with the ambivalence of many Middle Eastern states that should, by geography and history, be at the forefront of defending Palestinian rights.

The urgency for stronger international action cannot be overstated. Israel’s conduct in Gaza, coupled with its confrontational posture toward neighbouring states, represents a grave threat to international peace and security. If unchecked, this behavior normalises impunity, signals to authoritarian regimes worldwide that international law is optional, and condemns Palestinians to perpetual dispossession. For this reason, global civil society, international institutions, and states committed to justice must act with greater resolve. As Human Rights Watch has insisted, “The laws of war exist to protect civilians. Israel is not exempt from them.”

Boycotts, divestment, and sanctions remain among the most potent tools available to challenge Israeli impunity. While Western governments remain largely complicit, the Global South can spearhead alternative initiatives. Southeast Asian democracies, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia, are well placed to galvanise coalitions within the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. By pushing for formal recognition of Palestine at the United Nations, calling for embargoes on Israeli arms, and encouraging consumer-led boycotts, these states can amplify pressure on both Israel and its Western enablers.

Critics will argue that such measures are symbolic, incapable of altering realities on the ground. But history demonstrates otherwise. Boycotts played a critical role in dismantling South Africa’s apartheid system, not by immediate economic devastation but by eroding legitimacy and global acceptance. Similarly, sustained diplomatic isolation of Israel, combined with grassroots mobilisation, can shift the balance over time. What is lacking is not strategy but political will.

Netanyahu’s government thrives on the perception that the world will look away, that outrage will be fleeting, and that Palestinians will be left to endure their suffering in isolation. It is precisely this calculus that must be shattered. By speaking with one voice, states like Indonesia and Malaysia can demonstrate that solidarity transcends geography, and that international justice is not the preserve of Western powers. Their leadership can inspire others, whether in Africa, Latin America, or Asia, to join a global front demanding accountability.

The tragedy of Gaza is not only a Palestinian tragedy. It is a moral test for the international community. Israel’s crimes, its assault on diplomatic actors like Qatar, and its contempt for American counsel reveal a regime drunk on impunity. The United States, long the guarantor of Israel’s exceptionalism, now finds itself increasingly sidelined and diminished. This shift offers both peril and opportunity: peril if the vacuum is filled with further violence, opportunity if the world seizes the moment to assert genuine multilateralism.

The Middle East cannot afford endless cycles of war and impunity. Nor can the world allow the precedent of unchecked occupation to fester. It is time for new voices, voices untainted by complicity, to lead. If the governments of the region remain silent, then Indonesia, Malaysia, and others must ensure that the call for justice is not extinguished. The people of Gaza, and the integrity of international law itself, deserve nothing less.

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