Six months in, the war in Gaza has dramatically shifted – and Israel is running out of road

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Israel’s appalling conduct was predicted by many, yet ignored by its allies. Now even they are distancing themselves, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik

Palestinians who had taken refuge in Rafah return to the city of Khan Younis, after Israel pulled its ground forces out of southern Gaza, 7 April 2024.Palestinians who had taken refuge in Rafah return to the city of Khan Younis, after Israel pulled its ground forces out of southern Gaza, 7 April 2024.n Gaza, the six-month milestone has arrived, and with it a perceptible shift.

But impunity has a price for the perpetrator as well as the victim, and that price is that the state ceases to be able to regulate its own behaviour, and begins to self-sabotage. That point came about when foreign aid workers were struck with precision missiles,, until they were dead.

When the IDF is referenced with such contempt by a self-professed “friend of Israel”, something is changing. Similar calls are now being made by high-profile figures in Labour and the Conservative party, and civil servants involved in arms exports to Israel are considering legal action, worried that they may be personally culpable if it is found that Israel has broken the law. When the blood is shed closer to home, people can see it on their hands.

But Israel may also be running out of road simply because of the sheer duration of the assault. Six months is a long time for this kind of military action to continue at the pace it has, with the range of horror and escalation that it has involved.

In short, the changes in tone and policy demands are only just beginning to bring the official world into line with public opinion and the concerns of countless protesters whose motivations were maligned and passions trivialised. The change of heart among Israel’s friends and underwriters is welcome, if it will go some way to alleviating the humanitarian crises and hastening the end of the war.

 

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