Israel's Expanded Conflicts and the Demise of Moral Terminology: A Look at the Israeli War Beyond Boundaries
In a stark warning, Colonel Jacques Baud, a former senior official in the Swiss strategic intelligence service and NATO consultant, has accused Western governments, particularly the U.S. and Europe, of cowardice, complicity, and failure to engage in honest diplomacy regarding the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
Baud, an expert on asymmetric warfare and terrorism in the Middle East, characterizes Israel's war strategy as one of desperation, not strength. He draws a parallel with Ukraine's strategic overreach, highlighting the potential consequences of such actions.
The crisis in Gaza, according to Baud, is a "private war" waged by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners, motivated less by national security and more by personal and ideological preservation. This war, he warns, is not only devastating Gaza but also threatening the very existence of Israel.
Israeli ministers and IDF commanders openly frame Palestinian existence as a threat to be eliminated, a troubling trend that has been documented within the IDF ranks. Internal dissent is rising, with reports of soldiers expressing joy in killing Palestinian children.
The ongoing war in Gaza is causing severe economic damage to Israel. Tourism is down, investors are fleeing, and even Jews abroad are refusing to visit. Baud warns that this economic hemorrhaging could trigger the irreversible unravelling of the Israeli state.
The crisis could also have far-reaching consequences, potentially erupting elsewhere with greater consequences. Baud points to Israel's self-declared war on Hamas as a political smokescreen and claims that the methods used by Israel are not counterterrorism but terrorism.
Baud's warnings come at a time when Western leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, are facing a public relations crisis due to their silence or complicity during Israel's ongoing war on Gaza.
Public opinion is shifting dramatically, even among traditional pro-Israel constituencies in the U.S. and UK, with questions being raised about the endless flow of military aid to Israel. Baud's assertions ashame him as a former military officer, given Israel's flagrant violations of over 150 UN resolutions and its disregard for international law.
Every morning brings new footage of slaughtered children, bombed refugee camps, and starvation in Gaza. The current starvation siege imposed by Israel's leadership has destroyed the possibility of diplomacy, as the term "terrorist" has become a narrative device used to delegitimize dissent. Baud warns that this war never had to happen, but now that it has, the stakes are existential for Gaza, Israel, and the West's claim to any moral high ground.
