Israel found itself in a diplomatic crisis this week as state after state declared recognition of a Palestinian state or willingness to take such a move if the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continued.
Even Germany, Israel’s most important ally in Europe, joined the wave on Thursday when minister for foreign affairs Johann Wadephul, en route to Israel, said that although the recognition of a Palestinian state would come at the end of negotiations for a two-state solution, that process must begin now.
Sweden on Thursday demanded that the European Union increase economic pressure on Israel.
France, the UK, Canada and other states, including many considered allies of Israel, have already declared support for a Palestinian state, leaving Israel more isolated diplomatically than at any time in the past.
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Israel is facing a new reality. The accusations of genocide and starvation in Gaza have led to sanctions, restrictions and international isolation. The situation is only likely to get worse as long as the war in Gaza drags on.
The reports of hunger in Gaza, often accompanied by harrowing images, along with the almost daily reports of civilians killed while trying to collect food under the Israeli and US-backed distribution system, are difficult to process for most Israelis, many of whom blame Hamas for anything that happens in Gaza. Other Israelis also assign any criticism of Israeli actions to “anti-Semitism”.
[ An Irish surgeon in Gaza: I have seen tiny bodies ripped apart, children eating grass ]
The Israeli foreign ministry claims that recognising a Palestinian state is a “reward for Hamas and harms the efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza”, damaging attempts to release the hostages.
Defence minister Israel Katz said the plans to recognise a Palestinian state “give Hamas encouragement and harden its stance”.
Israeli officials also claim that Hamas manipulates the humanitarian crisis, inflating the number of those who died from malnutrition, and it blames Hamas for some of the exchanges of fire close to food distribution points.
When The New York Times admitted this week that a widely distributed front-page photograph of an emaciated child failed to admit that he suffered from a pre-existing disease, Israel termed the omission as a “blood libel”. The photograph was also published in The Irish Times.
While international recognition of a Palestinian state increases Israel’s diplomatic isolation, it remains a declarative measure with little practical impact.
But turning Israel into a pariah state, akin to apartheid-era South Africa, is already having a negative impact.
Every day this week Israeli media reported protests or physical attacks against Israeli holidaymakers in Europe. Last week an Israeli cruise ship had to forgo anchoring in the Greek island of Syros, following a pro-Palestinian protest at the port.
The 21-month war has decimated Israel’s tourist industry. It may be decades before it recovers.
The Israeli economy has shown remarkable resilience this year – the Tel Aviv stock exchange is up 26 per cent and the shekel has strengthened 8 per cent against the US dollar – but many companies around the world are quietly choosing not to do business with Israel, whether due to solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza or consumer pressure.
This week’s attempt by the European Commission to suspend funding for Israeli start-ups, which would have excluded Israeli companies from the Horizon Europe programme, failed, but it could be a sign of things to come.
A wide-scale academic boycott is also ongoing. Universities and professional associations have cut ties with Israeli researchers and institutions, and Israeli academics are rarely invited to conferences abroad.
The cultural boycott is even more pronounced. Foreign artists have stopped coming to Israel and Israeli artists abroad are considered unwelcome.
