The Israeli war on Gaza has exposed the double standards and contradictions of major Western countries that champion democracy, freedom, and human rights in various global issues and crises. This became evident when Israel was allowed to wage a war that can only be described as genocide against Gaza, with full material, diplomatic, and military support from these countries. This situation has highlighted a new setback for the global system built on liberal ideas, following a series of crises starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and now the Gaza crisis, during which all the values and foundations of the global order have collapsed. This has created a significant gap between Western countries and the rest of the world, indicating the beginning of a shift towards a new world order, free from Western dominance. The following will discuss this in more detail:
The Decline of Western Hegemony:
After World War II, the United States established a new world order based on the values and assumptions of liberal theory. This model was in competition with the socialist model represented by the Soviet Union for global dominance. This rivalry between the two opposing models continued until the end of the Cold War and the collapse and disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991. The United States considered this, and promoted it, as a victory for liberal values based on democracy, freedom, human rights, and compliance with international laws. American thinker and philosopher Francis Fukuyama even wrote in his 1992 book “The End of History and the Last Man” that liberalism represents the pinnacle and end of ideological evolution, leading to the globalization of liberal democracy as the final form of human government, with no viable alternative.
The Foundations of the Liberal Order and Western Double Standards:
Theoretically, the liberal model is generally based on values of democracy, international cooperation, human rights, the rule of law, and principles of economic freedom. Liberalism also set a series of foundations for organizing international relations, emphasizing the role of international laws, agreements, and organizations in spreading values of cooperation and peace, and rejecting violence by restricting the violent power of states through binding rules and laws for all nations.
Through these foundations, Western countries were able to dominate the world for decades, during which they demonstrated the extent of contradictions and double standards when applying these values in reality. These countries became the most egregious violators of these rules and ethical standards when they conflicted with their national interests. These countries, led by the United States, participated in numerous wars and crimes around the world—Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, among others—under the pretext of fighting terrorism, liberating nations from authoritarian rule, or possessing weapons of mass destruction, as in the case of Iraq. Over time, these justifications were proven false.
Now, with the Israeli war on Gaza, all liberal values and principles have collapsed. Israel violated all international laws, committed war crimes, and violated all human rights. It did not comply with any decisions of international institutions concerned with maintaining international peace and security. All these violations were protected and supported by the United States, which provided all forms of political and military support to Israel in a war that can only be described as “genocide.”
Israeli Exceptionalism in Western Narratives:
In Western narratives, Israel is considered the democratic ally and regional power on which Europe and the United States rely to maintain their interests in the Middle East. This led these countries to provide Israel with all forms of support, ensuring its material and military superiority over other countries in the region. This support created an exceptional situation for Israel, making it effectively a state above the law, not subject to any international rules or laws, and able to commit violations without facing any legal accountability. This exceptionalism, granted by Western support, was evident in Israel’s current war on Gaza, during which it destroyed all the foundations of the global liberal order, including:
Violations of International Rules and Standards by Israel:
Violation of International Laws:
Israel breached all international laws and conventions, whether those it had signed or those imposed by international customs, especially international humanitarian law concerning the protection of civilians in wars. Some of the most prominent legal violations by Israel in its recent war on Gaza include:
- Violating Articles 55 and 59 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which relate to the administration of occupied territories and the responsibility of the occupying power to ensure the provision of food and medical supplies to the population in the occupied territory. If food or medical supplies are insufficient to meet the needs of the civilian population, all relief and humanitarian operations must be allowed to pass. Israel did not comply with this but instead used starvation as a weapon in its retaliatory war on Gaza, through the blockade of the territory and the obstruction of humanitarian aid.
- Violating Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits collective punishment, pillage, and inhumane treatment in armed conflicts.
- Committing a series of war crimes, such as targeting schools and hospitals, and the crime of forced displacement, which is considered a crime against humanity according to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as under Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949, which prohibits mass or individual forced transfers and deportations of people from their homes to other areas.
- Voting in the Knesset to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, which contradicts the right to self-determination enshrined in Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that “all peoples have the right to self-determination.”
Undermining the Role of International Institutions:
The Western liberal order emphasizes the role of international institutions in maintaining international peace and security. Israel, however, did not adhere to this, and deliberately undermined the role of these institutions by:
- Ignoring all appeals and demands from the United Nations and its various bodies to stop the war or at least protect civilians.
- Engaging in a campaign of blackmail and defamation against UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres when he criticized Israeli practices in Gaza.
- Targeting international relief workers.
- Refusing to grant visas to UN officials, such as the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese.
- Obstructing the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) through a systematic campaign aimed at destroying its headquarters, dismantling its capabilities, and attempting to classify it as a terrorist organization.
Western Double Standards:
Unconditional U.S. Support for Israel:
Despite the numerous violations of liberal values, including human rights abuses, breaches of all international laws and conventions, and the obstruction of international institutions, the United States provided Israel with all forms of support—material, military, and political. Weapons and ammunition shipments flowed into Israel, which were used to target hospitals, schools, and civilian shelters. According to The Washington Post, the value of U.S. military aid to the Israeli army exceeded $6.5 billion since the start of the war on Gaza. Over 100 arms sales deals were approved for Israel, including thousands of precision-guided munitions, bunker-busting bombs, and other lethal aids. Additionally, the U.S. sent the command ship of the Sixth Fleet, the Mount Whitney, to join the aircraft carriers USS Eisenhower and Gerald Ford, and other ships and reconnaissance units to secure Israel against any regional threats.
On the other hand, the United States protected Israel from any legal accountability by using its veto power to block any Security Council resolutions to stop the war. It also threatened International Criminal Court judges with sanctions after attempts were made to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.
Media Bias and Western Hypocrisy:
Western media demonstrated clear bias and partiality toward Israel, attempting to obscure Israel’s criminal practices in Gaza. However, this media deception was quickly exposed, leading to protests in various Western cities demanding an end to the war. Despite the fact that peaceful protests are a human right—advocated by Western countries—these countries worked to suppress and disperse these demonstrations using violence, in an effort to quell the growing popular support for Palestinian rights.
The Collapse of the European Union’s Normative Power:
Since its inception, the European Union’s policy has been linked to the concept of “normative power,” which relies on pursuing a non-traditional foreign policy to achieve its goals through positive influence and soft power, avoiding the use of military force and violence. The EU has thus sought to implement a strategy of exporting norms (democracy, the rule of law, freedoms, human rights, and peace) beyond its borders.
The Israeli war on Gaza posed a real test of credibility for the EU and the ethical standards underpinning its foreign policy—a test it failed quickly. Despite attempts by the EU to adopt a balanced policy regarding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, affirming a two-state solution with the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the June 4, 1967 borders as the foundation for ending the conflict, the EU’s position at the start of the current Israeli war on Gaza showed bias toward the Israeli side, supporting the war as Israel’s right to self-defense, as expressed in statements by EU countries like Germany and France. Additionally, European leaders visited Israel.
Furthermore, the war revealed deep divisions in the positions among EU countries, breaking the consensus norm as individual countries took decisions independently of the EU, as seen in the vote at the General Assembly on recommendations for an immediate ceasefire. With the brutality of the Israeli war on Gaza and Israel’s obstinacy in protecting civilians and complying with international laws, some EU countries began criticizing Israeli actions, though without taking any real steps to pressure Israel to stop the war. Instead, the division deepened with Germany’s unlimited support for Israel (due to the historical guilt complex associated with the Holocaust), contrasted with Spain and Ireland’s recognition of the Palestinian state.
These divisions made it difficult to reach a unified EU position regarding the Palestinian issue, undermining any European role in efforts to resolve the conflict and deepening the crisis of EU identity and its normative power.
The Decline of Liberalism and the Future of the Global Order:
The Israeli war on Gaza revealed the fragility of the global liberal order and deepened the crisis of the model that Western countries promoted as the best for managing international relations. The crisis of liberalism did not begin with the Israeli war on Gaza, but was deepened by other crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. However, the Israeli war on Gaza demonstrated a sharp disparity in Western policy toward the Ukrainian crisis and the Palestinian crisis. This further exposed the double standards of the liberal order and underscored its lack of credibility and the weakness of the ideas on which it was based. The current events reveal that the world is on the verge of significant transformations and the gradual formation of a new global order free from Western dominance.
Conclusion:
The ongoing Israeli war on Gaza has highlighted the extent of the global liberal order’s collapse, revealing its contradictions and double standards, and bringing to light the hypocrisy and moral contradictions of Western countries. This has shaken their credibility as advocates of liberal values. As the war continues and escalates, the world may witness further shifts in international relations, potentially leading to the emergence of a new global order. This new order could challenge the liberal model, paving the way for alternative frameworks and approaches to global governance that reflect the evolving dynamics of power, influence, and values on the international stage.
