Rafah bombing…and the false apology

On Monday, May 27, Israel appeared to “apologise” for the killing of 45 Palestinians as a result of its air strike on the “humanitarian zone” in Rafah. By all accounts, it was a false apology. Since Israeli apologies, even hypocritical ones, are rare, it is worth examining the background that led to this apology. This latest bombing of Rafah occurred just two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to halt its attack on Rafah, citing the risks this attack poses to civilian lives and the delivery of humanitarian aid. Just a few days ago, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced his intention to request the issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of committing war crimes during the attack on Gaza.

Adding to the embarrassment that all this has created for Israel are joint decisions taken by three European Union countries, Spain, Ireland and Norway, to recognize the State of Palestine, accompanied by statements supporting the request for an ICC memorandum issued by France and Germany. Many of these same European countries also issued swift and firm condemnations of the Rafah attack. As expected, the initial Israeli response to these developments was immediate and excessive, with the International Court of Justice described as a “moral scandal.” Israeli commentators denounced the court in racist terms, pointing to the percentage of judges who come from Muslim-majority countries or “Third World” countries.

European Union countries that recognized Palestine were compared to the Nazis, and their action was described as anti-Semitic. To date, the largest torrent of offensive language, from both the government and the opposition, came in response to the ICC’s request for arrest warrants. Justice Minister Yariv Levin referred to the ICC prosecutor’s request as “one of the biggest moral scandals in human history.” For his part, Prime Minister Netanyahu, in a classic display of narcissism, said that the charges against him were “directed against all of Israel.” As such, he concluded that it was “an example of the new anti-Semitism.” To expand this deviation further, he asked: “With what impudence do you dare compare Hamas to IDF soldiers who fight an unparalleled just war with unparalleled morality?” Even Netanyahu’s enemies took part in the matter, with Benny Gantz describing the ICC Prosecutor’s request as a “crime of historic proportions,” and Yair Lapid describing it as “unforgivable” and a “terrible political failure.” This excessive use of language, a form of bullying, is the traditional way in which Israel responds to criticism. It is an attempt to verbally bully her critics into submission while supporting her supporters. This was the verbal response. But then came the decision to bomb Rafah. This attack may have been an Israeli attempt to show that they would not be deterred by global public opinion or criticism.

For whatever reason, the Israeli announcement of the bombing was followed by an official statement describing the attack as using “precision munitions based on accurate intelligence information.” An analysis of the language used here suggests that the Israelis were aware of the potential repercussions of their attack and were testing the tolerance of their critics, when it appears as if they were at least trying to comply with international law and bow to US concerns that civilian casualties must be avoided. As we now know, the initial bombing was not accurate, with 22 people reported killed. The explosion then ignited fires that swept the area adjacent to the explosion site, and the death toll rose to 45, according to the latest count. In the face of growing international outrage, the Israelis followed their usual practice of “denial and obfuscation,” then condemned their Hamas targets for “hiding” among civilians. After feigning innocence by asking how they knew that a fire would break out in a crowded tented area resulting in the loss of innocent lives, they added an element of confusion, pointing out that the bombing had been accurate, but that the fire may have occurred after the bomb explosion had ignited… A nearby Hamas weapons cache.

No evidence was presented to prove this claim, because with this amount of confusion, the Israelis felt that they had cast doubt on their responsibility and placed the blame on Hamas. When none of these efforts succeeded in calming international anger, the Israelis decided to do something they rarely do: “apologize.” They may have seen world opinion turning against them, with arrest warrants on the way against the prime minister and defense minister. Despite the Biden administration’s verbal manipulation of its reluctance to condemn their crossing of the constantly moving red line, they know how dangerous this situation is in the United States. With Netanyahu hoping to speak before Congress and face the “Democrats” boycott of his statements, some measures had to be taken. So he made the decision to apologise.

What a false apology. Speaking before the Knesset, Netanyahu declared: “Despite our efforts not to hit them, a tragic accident occurred. “We are investigating the incident.” Then he added insult to injury, and continued, saying: “For us, it is a tragedy, for Hamas, it is strategic.” A few days later, Israel bombed another crowded refugee camp in Rafah, killing 21 Palestinians. As if to give the green light to more such attacks, despite the growing global and domestic condemnation of these mass killings, the Biden administration announced that the United States will not take any action against Israel because it is convinced that Israel is taking the necessary precautions to avoid the killing of civilians and that it is investigating the consequences of their actions in Rafah. Netanyahu is addressing an audience of one person, so that was enough for the bombings to continue.

President of the Arab American Institute – Washington