Israel’s Two Conflicts

October 7th 2023 was the start of Israel’s War in Gaza with the objective to completely destroy Hamas. Israel is being accused of numerous human rights violations with this war, yet the war still continues. The U.N. Security Council has adopted a ceasefire proposal with the U.S abstaining. The U.S. has previously blocked such proposals but due to the political pressure from the left, the Biden administration has somewhat switched its course.

Israel has also had border conflicts with Hezbollah. Israel has taken preemptive attacks to destroy the Hezbollah leadership. The hacking of the pagers looks impressive and the death of Hezbollah’s top leader(s) should be celebrated. Hezbollah has contributed to making Lebanon a poorer country. Lebanon was once the richest country in the Middle East but because of Hezbollah, many people in Lebanon do not have electricity.

Israel is in the position of power in these conflicts and the biggest question mark is Iran’s involvement in the conflict. Iran has been weak against Israel but perhaps they have been emboldened to finally create a nuclear weapon. They are a lot richer now than they were 5 years ago due to the Biden administration lifting the sanctions against Iran as well as by China finding ways around such sanctions. Iran has used this newfound money to provide weapons for Hamas and Hezbollah. How much longer will Iran fight Israel through proxies? When will Israel strike Iran next?

IB Connections:

Global Governance Institutions: What role does the U.N. play in reducing conflict?

Third Party Intervention in Conflicts