The Israel-Gaza War

 Hostages were taken October 7, 2023  by Hamas. Israel responded with a campaign to annex Gaza. The reason for the capture of hostages was to have Palestinians who were imprisoned exchanged. Israel asserts that it wants to enhance its security and curtail terrorism. The actual objective by the government is to expand Israel's borders. Most analysts call the recent conflict the Hamas-Israel War. This ignores the actual nature of the confrontation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is waging a war on Gaza, not the political party that controls the territory. The Zionist state does not want a nation with Arabs. Israel holds limited regard for its Somalian, Ethiopian, and Sudanese population. Arabs and Africans have no place in the theocratic ethnostate being created.  The Israel-Gaza War is a more precise description of the crisis in West Asia. Stopping an independent Palestinian state and incorporating more land into Israel are the motivations for violence. The hostages are an after thought. If there was a desire to get them all back unharmed, the Mossad  could have extracted them. Instead bombings and ground invasion are being used as a means of retaliation. The map of the Middle East could be changed once more. Just like the Six Day War Israel seeks to gain more territory. A new Nakaba is taking place similar to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. As the civilian deaths mount, Arab nations continue to grow more vexed. The longer the war goes on the greater chance of a regional war. Egypt and Jordan are coming under pressure for a response. Iran's involvement would include the support of Syria  and Hezbollah in Lebanon. The region has oil reserves, which can be effected by a region wide war. The consequences related to the global economy has the potential to be devasting. The Israel-Gaza War is the culmination of  racism , Israeli occupation, and the settler colonial ambitions of the Zionist state.  

          The Gaza Strip has been under Israeli occupation since 1967. The area remains encircled by a wall and is under blockade  by Israel. The Gaza Strip was for a period under Egyptian military rule from 1949 to Egypt's defeat in the Six Day War. During Israel's wars with its Arab neighbors Palestinians were not allowed to return. Instead they remained  refugees. The year 2005 marked a turning point. Israel withdrew its forces and removed settlers. Israel still had control of the borders and airspace. Elections were held in 2006. Hamas was able to win the parliamentary elections against Fatah. The response by the EU, Israel, and the United States was to impose sanctions. Disunity between Palestinian political parties  and organizations resulted in civil disturbance. Since 2007 after the failure of the coalition government Hamas retained control of the Gaza Strip, while Fatah remains in the West Bank. Israel would then launch a series of military strikes on the Gaza Strip. The first major attack was between 2008 to 2009. The Israel bombed Gaza in 2012 and then again from 2014. The last military strike before the recent conflict was in 2021. 

The purpose of these attacks by Israel was to ensure the control of Gaza and undermine the leadership in the area. Targeted assassinations have been Israel's policy against Hamas leadership. With all these strikes more Palestinian civilians die. The air strikes caused massive damage to buildings and infrastructure. Hospitals, schools, residential areas, and UN facilities have been attacked.  The Israel-Gaza War is not using air strikes only. Ground invasion is underway which means possible annexation. Gaza City has gradually become surrounded by the Israeli Defense Force. The population has limited access to clean drinking water, electricity, and medical care. Hospitals have been subject to bombings. The refugees do not have options and Arab nations are not accepting them.  

         Hamas does not have the ability to defeat the IDF. The armed wing of the political party is known as the al-Qassam Brigades. When ever there is combat these are the soldiers that fight in Gaza. The fighting force is estimated to be 30,000 according to Israeli intelligence. The al-Qassam Brigades does not have a navy, air force, or tanks to compete with the Israeli military. The confrontation thus is an uneven one. Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades has to use asymmetric warfare or guerilla tactics. Rocket strikes and terrorism are not going to defeat Israel. The assertion that Israel is in danger is exaggerated to push expansion into Gaza. The extent of the tunnel networks is not entirely known. Israel has accused Gaza of using tunnel networks to transport weapons from outside the territory. Tunnel networks are not like bunkers or command centers. Hamas is not formidable enough to force a military defeat of Israel or make a peace settlement. If Hamas did want to defeat Israel it would require help from another regional power. Iran has not provided aid in this recent conflict. However, Hezbollah  could be drawn into the conflict. Israel's occupation of Lebanon from 1985 to 2000, left it many enemies. Hezbollah has connections with Iran and that would mean a wider regional war. The al-Qassam Brigades and Hezbollah are not strong enough to invade or capture Israeli land. What both armies could do is open a multiple front war. The IDF would have to fight both in the north and west . Syria if it was not in a state of civil war,  that would mean another front would be opened  in the east. Israel has been bombing Syria which means it is in a state of war with that country. If Syria were to completely stabilize and defeat armed groups its energies would be directed at Israel. Hamas at the moment does not have Syria or a dedicated Hezbollah to assist. Hezbollah is better equipped to fight a defensive war, rather than doing an offensive military operation. Jordan and Egypt are not going to attack due to the fact they have signed treaties with Israel. The situation would be different if this were no the case. The al-Qassam Brigades does not have a strategy to win a long term conflict. The narrative that Israel is a victim of  the  confrontation collapses with the analysis of military strength and regional conditions. 

      The dramatic increase in racism was inevitable. Israel's objectives have shifted. Saving hostages was the excuse for the violence. At the end of October, the goal was regime change in Gaza. Simultaneously, annexation will be part of this project. When the conflict is over Gaza will not be habitable. The removal of those who remain will be official Israeli policy. This also related to conditions in the West Bank. Settlers have already attacked the local population. The forced changes in demographics demonstrate a process of ethnic cleansing. Jewish settlers will replace Arab populations in both the West Bank and Gaza. The war also serves another purpose. The concern about another intifada happening has been thought of in Israel's security planning. Years of abuse could spark a mass uprising not just in the occupied territories, but across the country. Israel has an Arab population and as measures get more draconian they might sympathize with the Palestinians in the occupied territories. The structure of the state is using bantustans system of  the South African Apartheid regime  as a model. Israel by building walls around Gaza and the West Bank is imposing racial segregation. Arabs are regulated to a second class citizenship. Those in Gaza or the West Bank do not have citizenship at all. A two state solution was never an agreement Israel wanted. The last attempts were failures under the facilitation of the United States. Israel is  wants a state for European  Ashkenazi Jews only. The only reason non-European Jews would be allowed in the country is to contribute the nation's growth. They need more numbers to counter the indigenous population. This explains why there is an effort to kill children in Gaza and the West Bank. Israel wants to have the demographics work in its favor.

       Israeli occupation was justified by the government as a method of defense. The assertion is that Israel has the right to exist and defend itself. People have the right to exist, but the borders of nations have changed throughout history. A country will respond when attacked. However, use of the phrase right to defend yourself is a cover for military occupation. At the moment there are few countries in the region that could challenge Israel in terms of military power. Iran has the potential to do so, but lacks nuclear capability. Resistance groups, terrorist organizations, or political parties cannot bring about an Israel defeat. The aid from the United States ensures that Israel survives. Without the aid from the European Union as well, Israel would not be able to succeed. Israel uses groups such as Islamic Jihad, Hamas, the PLO, and Hezbollah as reason to occupy Arab land. The implication is without the occupation Israel would be overrun. The past wars in 1948, 1967, and 1973 have shown Israel would be difficult to defeat. A national liberation movement for Palestine cannot succeed militarily without a powerful Arab coalition. The groups trying to resist are minimally effective. Israel might not want to wipe them out completely. The long time excuse was that military occupation was designed as a series of buffer zones. The occupation was not actually about buffer zones, but removing populations and utilizing the land for Israel's economic benefit. Framers want more land in the West Bank and to sell their produce to EU countries. The Ben Gurion Canal project involves construction through the Gaza Strip. The challenge is that it would require removing populations and clearing the area. Building the canal would means there would be a ship transport area other than the Suez Canal. The war on Gaza has an economic motivation. The occupation was the first step in a much larger national project.  

      Israel was never a Jewish state. Over the past 75 years, it has been a Zionist state. Judaism is a religion, while Zionism is a nationalist ideology. Judaism and Zionism are the the same. Zionism may take aspects religion, but the idea focuses on statehood, rather than theology . The nationalist movement had its origins in eastern and central Europe. The concept of return and the that the land belonged to Jews emerged from the Haskala movement. Theodore Herzel during the 19th century believed Jews assimilating in European society was not the best position to take to combat anti-Jewish hatred. Jews needed a homeland, because of the growing antisemitism  in Europe. The Ottoman Empire refused to allow Zionist settlement, so Herzel made appeals to the British Empire. Uganda was offered as a place for settlement, but most Zionists wanted Palestine. When Israel was established  in 1948 the settler colonialist convictions and nationalist goals materialized. Israel was to be a state for Jews only, which meant expulsion of the Arab population. Simultaneously, areas that were Arab would be replaced with Jewish populations. Zionism basically takes elements of a religion then uses it as a justification for a colonial state. If the establishment of the country was based on ancient boundaries there who be two states. The Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judea were two separate political entities. This brings into question of Jewish right to return. The majority of Israelis cannot trace their ancestry back to 1200 B.C.E. The conclusion is that Israel is not different from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, the US, and the South American countries. The indigenous populations faced extermination by an invading force. The attack on Gaza and other conquest was a logical culmination of Zionist thought. After the war, Gaza will be redeveloped to make way for Israeli residents. Those who do survive will either have to flee to the Sinai peninsula or make the dangerous journey to Europe. 

       The war is not like past strikes. The objectives include regime change, forced removal of populations, and labor exploitation. Israel does have the advantage, but there have been repercussions for aggressive war. The Houthi rebels are attacking ships ,n the Red Sea. The strikes on Israeli ships began in November and increased the following months. As images of Gaza are seen around the world , Israel becomes more isolated. While the governments of America and Europe support Israel's war a growing number of protests are spreading internationally. African, Asian, and South American countries are more sympathetic to Palestinians due to historical circumstances. The lugubrious reminder of colonial oppression still is part of the Global South's consciousness. Israel while winning a military operation is losing the propaganda war. Asserting that Israel is a victim of an antisemitic conspiracy can no longer be used to cover up human rights violations. Refugee camps are also targets of  military strikes. This is evidence that forced removal is being enacted. No reports suggest that Hamas has fighters in refugee camps. The deliberate  murder of civilians are war crimes, which Israel will never be punished for. The protection it gets from the United Nations allows the country to avoid sanctions or a UN resolution directed at it. Israel at the moment cannot be defeated and the West will not stop its economic relationship with the nation. Instability within Israel itself  possibly would bring the war to an end. Soldiers could mutiny or demonstrations paralyze the government. Removal of  prime ministers does not result in a change in policy. The protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are for the judicial reform and political corruption. The demonstrations are not for racial equality or the support of Palestine. The war would continue, even if his government was voted out of office. The anti-Netanyahu protests began prior to the war. The conflict has prevented his government from collapse. A distraction allows Netanyahu to avoid criminal charges for abuses in office. The Israel-Gaza War will spill into other countries. Iraq might become another theater of war, with the United States attack on the Kataib militia. Hezbollah backed militias and other Iranian backed armed groups could be directed at US forces in the region and Israel. The Israel-Gaza War could alter the regional dynamic of West Asia.