On Monday, Israel reminded the world why it remains the most hated country in the Middle East by committing mass murder on live television. No less than 61 unarmed Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces and 2,271 were injured — including 1,359 by live ammunition. With complete disregard for justice and human rights, Israel did again what it has been doing in Palestinian lands for decades.
A toxic mix of U.S. President Donald Trump's unadulterated political ambition and Vice President Mike Pence's evangelical extremism resulted in a catastrophic decision that placed U.S. interests in the Middle East at risk. Over the past year, Washington has lost a number of valuable friends and allies and managed to bring in line a handful of satellite states. In light of the most recent developments, the United States will presumably come to be seen as a devil — not just by a handful of radicals but by the wider Arab community. Needless to say, nothing good will come out of this episode.
Ironically, the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem will in no way contribute to the security and stability of Israel.
Tel Aviv will learn the hard way that the resistance cannot be defeated by killing innocent people. Instead, Israel's most recent actions will further mobilize millions of Palestinians. Previous generations of Israeli officials taught the Palestinian masses not to fear death. The young generation of Palestinians who grew up under Israeli occupation never feared death in the first place. One way or another, Israel stands to lose.
Failure to speak up against Israel's atrocities will bring down Arab regimes. In the face of Tel Aviv's blatant disregard for human rights and international law, Arabs will start holding accountable their kings, princes and emirs, who are complicit in Israeli crimes. This is how grassroots opposition movements are born. Arab governments who tacitly support this U.S. move through their silence will be judged by history. They will eventually be forced by their furious people to pay a steep price for their complicity.
Finally, the steps taken by the U.S. government and the government of Israel will further isolate the U.S. Only seven U.N. member countries backed U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem last December, while 128 opposed it. The list of supporters says it all: Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo voted against the U.N. resolution condemning the U.S. decision.
Now, moving the embassy with almost the entire international community united in opposition will push the Middle East deeper into chaos, which will in turn fuel extremism and radicalization, and escalate security threats. If European governments do not step up to balance out the destabilizing moves of Washington and Tel Aviv today, they will no doubt suffer the consequences.
