A Palestinian bookstore owner standing on the rubble of his shop after it was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City on Saturday. -AFP pic
A Palestinian bookstore owner standing on the rubble of his shop after it was destroyed by Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City on Saturday. -AFP pic

The first time I came across the term "rogue state" was in early 2001, after I read William Blum's explosive book, Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower.

He was referring, of course, to the United States.

An online dictionary defines "rogue state" as a nation or state "regarded as breaking international law and posing a threat to the security of other nations". The US has always named several targeted states as rogue states, namely North Korea, Iran, Libya, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, but never its close ally, Israel.

In 2012, after the Syrian army shot down a Turkish warplane, Turkey declared Syria a rogue state. American critic Noam Chomsky labelled the US a rogue state after the assassination of Qassim Suleimani, one of Iran's most respected military leaders, in a drone strike at Baghdad International Airport.

As we all now know, on May 7 (the last Friday of Ramadan), Israeli police raided Al-Aqsa Mosque, where Palestinians gathered to pray and show support for Arab residents of Sheikh Jarrah, a neighbourhood in East Jerusalam, where Palestinian families had lived for decades, but had been gradually forced out by a settler organisation and the Israeli courts.

Many were injured in the ensuing clash between the protesters and armed police. Hamas had warned that Israel would pay a "heavy price" if its forces did not leave the mosque before 6pm. The first rocket fire from Gaza began a few minutes after the hour, the first Israeli air strikes not long after. What subsequently happened is now breaking news daily.

This recent bloody conflict reminds me of "Operation Cast Lead" in late 2008 and early 2009 where Israeli soldiers killed over 1,400 Palestinians and destroyed much of Gaza's infrastructure. Malaysians must have seen painful images of the killing of Palestinian children, bombing of schools and indiscriminate use of white phosphorus on entire neighbourhoods.

For David Morrison of Sadaka (The Ireland Palestine Alliance) "The case is overwhelming that Israel is a rogue state." I agree totally.

This newspaper said the same thing (see its editorial "Lawless Israel" on April 3, 2021). It cited the assassination (on November 27, 2020) of Iran's nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

Israeli penchant for illegal assasination is no secret. In January 2010, the London Sunday Times stated that there was overwhelming evidence that the Israel's notorious secret service Mossad had assassinated Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhough in Dubai on January 20.

Israel had occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza and the Syrian Golan Heights for several decades. It had moved in illegally more than 500,000 Jewish settlers on this occupied territory, with the clear intention of holding on to it permanently.

It had also made the Gaza Strip into an open-air prison. Movement has become severely restricted and regulated through hundreds of checkpoints and barriers. It had disobeyed at least 30 United Nations Security Council resolutions.

As an "occupying power", it had continuously breached the Fourth Geneva Convention. Article 49(6) of that Convention prohibits an Occupying Power from transferring its own civilian population into territory it occupies.

If Israel had complied with these resolutions, there would be no Jewish settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) had ruled in July 2004 that the construction of the Wall in the West Bank is "contrary to international law" and ordered Israel to dismantle it. Israel refused to comply.

Why? Because it knows it can get away with it.

The US continues to coddle it, protecting it from sanctions. It provides Israel US$3 billion in annual economic and military aid. Other states (France, Britain, and Canada) also offer support.

There are also "friendly" states in Asia. Stephen Robert, chancellor emeritus at Brown University, has no doubt that Israel is "a rogue state in the eyes of much of the world."

Alain Gabon wrote on November 29, 2019, "It is difficult to find a worse rogue state than Israel".

My question is whether Israel can ever "be tamed, delegitimised and punished"?

The writer was formerly a federal counsel at the Attorney-General's Chambers and a visiting professor at UTM, Skudai. He is now a full-time consultant, trainer and author


The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times