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The Israeli genocide in Gaza, along with the escalating regional wars it has ignited, has brought two chilling truths into focus: first, Israel is deliberately and aggressively undermining the security and stability of the entire Middle East and, second, Israel is utterly incapable of surviving on its own.

These two assertions, though seemingly distinct, are inextricably linked. For, if those who relentlessly sustain Israel — militarily, politically and economically — were to finally withdraw their support, the Middle East would not be the powder keg it has been for decades, a situation that has catastrophically worsened since Oct. 7, 2023.

Though no oversimplification is intended, the brutal reality is that all it would take is for Israel to withdraw from Gaza, allowing the devastated, genocide-stricken Strip the faintest chance to heal. More than 56,000 Palestinians, including some 17,000 , have been brutally since the commencement of this war, a horrifying tally that is expected to dramatically when comprehensive investigations into the missing are finally conducted.

Only then could the process of returning to some semblance of normality begin, where the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people must be fiercely championed within an international system built, at least theoretically, on unwavering respect for basic human rights and international law.

The abhorrent “might makes right” maxim would have to be utterly expunged from any future political equation. Middle Eastern countries, both Arab and Muslim, must rise to the occasion, stepping up decisively to aid their brethren and to ensure that Israel is powerless to divide their ranks.

For Israel, this demand is simply impossible, a nonstarter — and understandably so from its colonial perspective. Why?

There are various theories as to why some Western governments dare to challenge Israel, while others stubbornly refuse

Dr. Ramzy Baroud

“Invasion is a structure, not an event,” the influential scholar Patrick Wolfe famously . This profound statement unequivocally means that Israel’s wars — commencing with the ethnic cleansing of Palestine during the Nakba of 1948 and through all subsequent wars and military occupations — were not random historical coincidences, but rather integral components of an enduring structure of power designed to eliminate the indigenous population.

This renders as false the notion that Israel’s behavior since Oct. 7 has been solely driven by and is devoid of strategy. We could perhaps be excused for failing to initially grasp this distinction, given the grisly, unspeakable of the Israeli actions in Gaza.

However, the language emanating from Israel has been chillingly clear about its true motives. As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on the day of the Hamas attacks, “we will turn Gaza into a deserted island.”

That has always been an intrinsic, unchanging part of Israel’s colonial structure and it will remain so unless it is decisively reined in. But who possesses the will and power to rein in Israel?

Israel operates through a network of enablers; benefactors who have long viewed its existence as an indispensable fortress the interests of Western colonialism. “The connection between the Israeli people and the American people is bone deep … We’re united in our shared values,” US President Joe Biden with striking conviction in July 2022.

Without even bothering to question those “shared values,” which somehow permit Israel to perpetrate a genocide while the US actively sustains it, Biden was undeniably honest in his stark depiction that the relationship between the two countries transcends mere politics. Other Western leaders blindly the same lines.

The unfolding genocide, however, has spurred some Western — and a multitude of non-Western — governments to courageously speak out against the Israeli war and Netanyahu and his extremist ideology in unprecedented ways. For some of these countries, notably , Norway, Ireland and , the proverbial “bond” is demonstrably “breakable” and their support is most certainly not “unequivocal.”

There are various theories as to why some Western governments dare to challenge Israel, while others stubbornly refuse. That important discussion aside, shattering the bond between Israel and the West is critical, not only for a just peace to finally prevail, but for the very survival of the Palestinian people.

Governments like that of Spain are doing what many had thought was not possible only a few years ago

Dr. Ramzy Baroud

The nearly 21 agonizing months of unrelenting Israeli have taught us a brutal lesson: Israel is a vassal state, utterly to fight its own wars, defend itself or even sustain its own economy without the direct and massive support of the US and others.

Prior to the war, there were occasional outbursts from Israeli officials that Israel was an independent country, not “another star on the US flag.” These voices have largely been silenced, replaced by a constant stream of and pleading for the US to come to Israel’s rescue.

While Palestinians continue to stand with legendary courage to resist the Israeli military occupation and apartheid, those who genuinely care about international law, justice and peace must take decisive action by directly confronting governments that persist in helping Israel sustain its genocide in Gaza and destabilization of the Middle East.

Governments like that of Spain are doing what many had thought was not possible only a few years ago. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is powerfully for the suspension of the , an extensive trade deal that has been in place since 2000, due to “the catastrophic situation of genocide.”

If more governments were willing to adopt a similar, uncompromising stance, Israel would be choked off, at least from acquiring the weapons it uses to carry out its barbaric genocide.

It is our collective responsibility to march in lockstep behind such courageous voices and demand uncompromising accountability, not only from Israel but also from those who are actively sustaining its settler-colonial structure.

• Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappe, is “Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out.” His other books include “My Father was a Freedom Fighter” and “The Last Earth.” He is a nonresident senior research fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs. His website is www.ramzybaroud.net. X: @RamzyBaroud