For years, Israel's political leadership has argued that Iran represents the central challenge to peace and stability in West Asia. Whether the issue was Iran's nuclear programme, its missile capabilities, or its support for armed groups across the region, the message remained consistent.

The world, Israel insisted, should focus its attention on Tehran. That argument is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain, not because Iran has become less powerful or less ambitious, but because Israel's own actions have altered the political landscape in ways that even its closest allies can no longer ignore.

The latest and extraordinarily severe findings from the United Nations regarding the treatment of Palestinian children in Gaza are significant not merely because of the allegations they contain. They are significant because they reflect a wider shift in global opinion that has been building for many months.

Also Read: 'Ran tank over child, shot baby in the head...' Israel brutal acts against Gaza children emerge

Language that was once confined to activists, academics and human rights organisations has now entered mainstream diplomatic discourse. Questions about war crimes, crimes against humanity, and even genocide are no longer being asked only by Israel's traditional critics. They are increasingly being raised in forums and capitals that were once instinctively sympathetic to Israel's position. This matters because Israel's greatest strategic asset was never its military superiority alone. It was legitimacy.

For decades, Israel enjoyed the benefit of the doubt across much of the Western world. Governments may have disagreed with particular policies, settlement expansion or military operations, but there remained a broad consensus that Israel was........

© Mathrubhumi English