The international community has a direct responsibility to force Israel to end the war in Gaza, according to an Israeli peace activist, who said that the Israeli society is becoming increasingly exhausted by the ongoing conflict.
Gershon Baskin, a long-term advocate for peace in the Middle East, is also the co-founder and co-director of the Alliance for Two States, shared his views on the desperate situation in the Gaza Strip in an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Tuesday.
Global concerns have been raised after the Israeli security cabinet approved a plan proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for Israel to expand its military offensive and take control of the Gaza City.
Baskin said that while a large majority of Israeli citizens are opposed to continuing the war and are desperate for hostages to be returned, they simply lack the political power to effect a change in approach from the Israeli government.
"They want the war to end and they want the soldiers brought home along with the hostages. The problem is that Israeli society is exhausted, is living in despair, lacks political efficacy that they can actually do something. The demonstrations that are held every single day and particularly on the weekends by supporters of the hostage families, are tens of thousands, not hundreds of thousands. And those kind of numbers can't force the government to do anything," he said.
Baskin said that as the Israeli government remains determined to press ahead with its occupation plan, now the impetus falls on the international community to do more to bring a halt to the bloodshed, but said the failure to push a ceasefire agreement through the United Nations Security Council so far has been a serious setback.
"Netanyahu is resolved to continue with this war. Israel has never really cared about international law. Israel cares about international politics, and if the United States will continue to use its veto in the [UN] Security Council, Israel has nothing to worry about," said Baskin.
"But if the international community understands its responsibility, then it must know that if it doesn't prevent genocide from taking place, it is complicit in that genocide according to international law. And this must be stopped. This war has to end. The international community has a direct responsibility to force Israel to end the war, even if there is no solution for the problem of Gaza. Right now, Hamas is still in Gaza, there is an obligation of us all, the entire world, to end this war now," he said.
Israel's military chief Eyal Zamir on Wednesday approved the main framework of the Gaza offensive, which will target refugee camps in central Gaza and the southern area of Al Mawasi, where most of Gaza's 2.2 million residents have taken shelter, according to a statement issued by the Israeli military.
Since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted in October 2023, the Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to over 61,700, with more than 154,500 injured as of Wednesday, according to Gaza-based health authorities.
Int'l community must act to stop war in Gaza: Israeli peace activist
