26 May 2024

Israel Is Losing the Diplomatic War

David Brennan

Israeli leaders have been left rattled by a difficult week of diplomatic developments related to their ongoing war against Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip.

The week began with the news that International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutors are seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over the conduct of the seven-month-old conflict, a development met with outrage in Israel and among its backers in the U.S.

Then on Wednesday, Ireland, Spain and Norway announced their intention to officially recognize the State of Palestine, in what represents a rebuke of deepening Israeli opposition to the two-state solution—the end goal of the stalled Arab-Israeli peace process—set out by the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Slovenia and Malta are reportedly planning to follow suit in the coming weeks. Almost as many United Nations member states now recognize Palestine as recognize Israel, though powerful Western nations including the U.S., the U.K., France and Germany are among those never to have recognized Palestine.

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