Our Wednesday News Analysis | Palestine question a key test of US foreign policy

A critical mass of opinion is rapidly forming, and this change is becoming undeniable.

Any US administration must recognize that, regardless of political agendas, the views of the American public regarding the situation in Palestine and Israel are undergoing a significant shift. A critical mass of opinion is rapidly forming, and this change is becoming undeniable.

“ Palestine may not be the sole measure by which the Trump administration will be judged, nor the only factor shaping future voting patterns.

Yet, it is undoubtedly a crucial test.

If the contradictions persist and the U.S. continues to provide unwavering military support for Israel, Palestine could become the defining issue that contributes to the unraveling of US foreign policy, not only in the Middle East but around the world."

Paradoxically, while Islamophobia continues to rise across the US, sentiments supporting Palestinians and opposing Israeli occupation are steadily increasing.

In theory, this means that the pro-Israeli media’s success in linking Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people to the so-called war on terror — a narrative that has demonized Islam and Muslims for many years — is faltering.

Americans are increasingly viewing the situation in Palestine as a human rights issue, and one that is deeply relevant to domestic politics. A recent Gallup poll underscored this shift. The poll, released on March 6, was conducted between Feb. 3 and 16. It found that American support for Israel was at its lowest point since polling began 25 years ago, while sympathy for Palestinians had reached its highest level. Having 46 percent of Americans sympathize more with Israelis and 33 percent with Palestinians would have seemed inconceivable in the past, when the plight of Palestine and its people was largely overlooked by the general public.

Even more remarkable is that this shift continues to gain momentum, despite the fact that the mainstream media and American politicians are more biased than ever, promoting a dehumanizing discourse of Palestinians and unprecedented, uncritical support for Israel.

While the growing shift in favor of Palestine — particularly as a result of the genocide in Gaza, which played a role in influencing the outcomes in several states during the 2024 presidential election — went largely unnoticed by the Biden administration, it is clear that the dissatisfaction with the government’s position remains unchanged since the change of presidency.

The previous administration approved significant military aid to Israel, topping $17.9 billion in the first year of the genocidal war on Gaza alone. This blatant disregard for Palestinian lives and rights has persisted under the new administration, who has appointed some staunchly anti-Palestinian, pro-Israel figures to key positions in his government...

Read more: Palestine question a key test of US foreign policy

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'OUR ENEMIES COMMIT GENOCIDE, NOT OUR FRIENDS': LEADING GENOCIDE SCHOLAR AND LAWYER WILLIAM SCHABAS ON THE DOUBLE STANDARDS OF CALLING OUT ISRAEL'S HORRIFIC CRIMES IN GAZA

Source: The New Arab
https://www.newarab.com/features/william-schabas-genocide-others-why-not-gaza

By Sebastian Shehadi
Published March 11, 2025

The New Arab Meets: Lawyer William Schabas to examine why Israel's genocide in Gaza, including its self-defence rhetoric, are unlikely to succeed in court

Few individuals have studied genocide the way William Schabas has for over 35 years as an academic and legal practitioner.

Born in Canada, Professor Schabas lost relatives in the Holocaust. He sits on the advisory board of the Israel Law Review and the Journal of International Criminal Justice and has published dozens of books, including Genocide in International Law: The Crime of Crimes (Cambridge University Press).

"Israel is a country that was built to a large extent by using force
against people whose land you [Israel] had stolen.

Those actions have colored everything since then.

They have had opportunities to reach agreements and return to the Oslo process.

At that time, there were elements in Israel who were prepared
to try and find a peaceful way.

There's no inherent reason why both people shouldn't be able to co-exist.
But Israel has been unable to make radical compromises
necessary to live in peace with the Palestinians."

At the start of his career, in 1993, he was among the first Western voices to warn of an impending genocide in Rwanda. Today, he is a professor of international law at Middlesex University, United Kingdom, and a professor of international human rights at Leiden University, The Netherlands.

Canada-born Schabas, who lost relatives in the Holocaust, also sits on the advisory board of the Israel Law Review and the Journal of International Criminal Justice, and has published dozens of books, including Genocide in International Law: The Crime of Crimes (Cambridge University Press).

As a legal practitioner, Schabas was one of the commissioners on the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which reported to the UN in 2004, as well as a commissioner on the Iran Tribunal Truth Commission in 2012. Two years later, he was appointed the head of a UN Committee investigating the role of Israel in the 2014 Gaza war, and was then subsequently involved in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case between Croatia and Serbia, regarding claims of genocide.

In 2019, Schabas represented the state of Myanmar at the ICJ, arguing that the crimes against the Rohingya did not meet the threshold of genocide, prompting criticism from friends and foes. Of these criticisms, Schabas told Reuters: "I am hired as a lawyer, they're my client… Both sides have a right to have competent representation.”

Read more: 'Our enemies commit genocide, not our friends': Leading genocide scholar and lawyer William Schabas on the double standards of calling out Israel's horrific crimes in Gaza
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OPINION | IN THE END, HAMAS REMAINS

Source: Haaretz
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025-03-13/ty-article-opinion/.premium/only-hamas-remains/00000195-8bff-de2e-a195-9bff360d0000

By Gideon Levy
Published March 13, 2025

A Hamas terrorist stands guard as a Red Cross vehicles arrives at the site of the handing over the bodies of four Israeli hostages in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza in February.Credit: AFP/EYAD BABA

Like it or not—mainly not—Hamas is the only game in town. This is not a particularly hopeful fact, but we have to recognize the limits of force, something that is difficult for Israel and the United States to do. Instead of fighting another war "to remove Hamas from power," blah blah blah, we need to accustom ourselves to its existence. From this, it follows that we must talk to the organization—even, or in fact, especially after October 7.

In the end, only Hamas endures.

After 17 months of bloodshed, Hamas endures.

Following the deaths of hundreds of Israeli soldiers and tens of thousands of Gazans, Hamas endures.

After destruction on the scale of Dresden, Hamas endures.

Despite countless Israeli promises, Hamas endures.

In fact, only Hamas remains in Gaza.

We must recognize this and draw the conclusions.

What was not achieved in 17 months will not be achieved in another 17. What was not achieved with the use of the most barbaric force in Israel's history will not be achieved with even more inhumane and brutal force.

Hamas is here to stay.

It has been critically injured militarily, and it will recover. Politically and ideologically, it grew stronger during the war after it resurrected the Palestinian issue, which Israel and the world were supposed to forget.

Hamas remains, and Israel cannot change this.

Israel doesn't have the power to appoint a different governing entity in Gaza, not only because it's doubtful one exists but also because there is a limit to its tyranny. It cannot replace another nation's regime, as the United States once could.

This is why the talk about the "day after" is misleading:

There is no day after Hamas, and presumably, there won't be one anytime soon; Hamas is the only governing body in Gaza, at least in the current, nearly inalterable circumstances. Therefore, the "day after" will include Hamas.

We must get used to it...

Read more: Opinion | In the End, Hamas Remains