Why are Arab states in the Middle East not doing anything practical to stop Israel’s war on Gaza? The Qatari leader recently blamed Israel for committing “genocide” in Gaza.
Empty Arab Rhetoric
Jordan’s King Abdullah II said at the United Nations General Assembly this week. “But the unprecedented scale of terror unleashed on Gaza since that day is beyond any justification”. Qatar’s Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani also spoke about “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza. “With all that has taken place and continues to take place, it is no longer tenable to speak of Israel’s right to defend itself in this context without being complicit in justifying the crime,” he argued. Clearly, Qatar does not agree with the US position that continues to stress Israel’s inherent right to (brutal) self-defense.
But this rhetoric is clearly not working. If it was, Israel would have long ended its war on Gaza, and it would most certainly have not decided to expand its war in Lebanon. For one thing, Israel understands that the purpose of this rhetoric is not to target Israel per se, but to create a semblance of ‘resistance’ against Israel for the consumption of the domestic audiences of these states. This is to manage........