Editorials

The Irish Times view on the international reaction to conflict in the Middle East: fault lines widen

While the western powers have backed Israel’s response to the attacks as self-defence, most of the Global South has prioritised the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza

People demonstrate in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to protest against the Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, in front of the UNHCR building in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday. In the Global South, there is widespread criticism of the Israeli action ( Photo: Shutterstock)
People demonstrate in solidarity with the Palestinian people and to protest against the Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, in front of the UNHCR building in Rabat, Morocco, on Thursday. In the Global South, there is widespread criticism of the Israeli action ( Photo: Shutterstock)
Fri Oct 20 2023 - 06:55

Like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, Hamas’s killings in Israel and the siege of Gaza have revealed a geopolitical fault line that finds the United States and its closest allies on one side and most of the rest of the world on the other. While the western powers have backed Israel’s response to the attacks as self-defence, most of the Global South has prioritised the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, calling for a ceasefire and an end to the siege.

The leaders of the United States, Germany, France, Italy and Britain set the tone two days after the attacks, condemning Hamas and offering their “steadfast and united” support to Israel. They promised to support Israel “in the coming days” in its efforts to defend itself and set no conditions on the action that should involve.

Hours after Israel told more than a million civilians to leave their homes in northern Gaza within 24 hours or risk being killed, European commission president Ursula von der Leyen met Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu pledging the European Union’s unconditional support. She made no public criticism of the evacuation order, although the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said it was against international law.

China’s initial response to the attacks was a neutral one, but it soon became more critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza, which foreign minister Wang Yi said went beyond self-defence. This view is shared throughout much of Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as in the Middle East.

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India initially joined the western powers in offering full support to Israel but its diplomats have struck a different note in recent days, stressing New Delhi’s longstanding support for Palestinian statehood. Russia and Brazil have each unsuccessfully introduced United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire.

For months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, the United States and its European allies criticised governments in the Global South for choosing to remain neutral in the conflict. As European politicians and diplomats lectured Africans about imperialism and colonialism, they stressed the sanctity of international law and the rules-based international order.

Now that Israel is breaking some of the same laws as Russia by cutting off food, water and power to civilians, western leaders have referred only gingerly to international law. The rest of the world may conclude that for the US and EU, international law, human rights and the rules-based order offer protection only to those they favour.

In Beijing this week, Xi Jinping sketched out his vision for a new global order that would allow each country to pursue its own developmental model, regardless of human rights and democratic values. As western leaders line up behind Netanyahu’s military offensive, Xi may conclude that they are making his argument for him.