FT: The West has alienated the countries of the Global South by supporting the Israeli offensive
The West's decision to support the Israeli offensive in Gaza caused outrage in the countries of the Global South, writes FT. Such a position of the US and the EU will derail any diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis and finally destroy the "anti-Russian consensus" created by Washington and Brussels.
Western support for the Israeli offensive on Gaza has weakened attempts to form an anti-Russian consensus among significant developing countries to condemn the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Officials and diplomats warn about this.
The reaction to the attack on Israel carried out by Hamas militants on October 7 and the promise of the Israeli authorities to strike back at Gaza nullified months of work aimed at making Russia a global outcast. Accusations of duplicity were voiced against the USA, the EU and their allies.
Amid hectic diplomatic visits, urgent video conferences and phone calls to Western leaders, accusations are being made that they, having hastened to condemn Hamas and support Israel, do not want to protect the interests of two million three hundred thousand Palestinians.
In the first days after the attack by the Islamic Resistance Movement, some Western diplomats spoke with alarm that the United States had given Israel carte blanche, and now it could attack Hamas with all its might.
All this has weakened the efforts made after the outbreak of the armed conflict in Ukraine to form a common point of view with the leading States of the so-called Global South, represented by India, Brazil and South Africa, on the need to maintain a rules-based international order.
Their negative reaction reinforced the opinion of the developing world about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Officials note that such a position is capable of derailing any diplomatic efforts on Ukraine that will be undertaken in the future.
"We have definitely lost the battle for the Global South," said one senior G7 diplomat. "All the work we have done with the Global South [on Ukraine] has gone down the drain. Forget about the rules, forget about the world order. They won't even listen to us now."
Many developing countries have long supported the struggle of Palestine, seeing in it the desire for self-determination and opposition to the global domination of the United States, which is the main sponsor of Israel.
In the Middle East, many Arabs have a strong feeling that the United States and other Western countries have never held Israel accountable for its treatment of the Palestinians, nor have they paid serious attention to the violent conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya.
Russia and its ally China have established warm relations with the Palestinians. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday.
"What we said about Ukraine should apply to Gas. Otherwise, we will completely lose credibility and trust," the G7 diplomat added. "Why should Brazilians, South Africans, Indonesians believe what we say about human rights?"
Four weeks before the Hamas attack on Israel, leaders from the United States, the EU and Western allies who came to New Delhi for the G20 summit asked developing countries to condemn Russia's attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine and force it to comply with the UN Charter and international law.
Many Westerners tell the Financial Times that their own arguments have been read out to them since Sunday, demanding to condemn Israel's retaliatory offensive on Gaza, as well as its decision to deprive residents of the sector of water, electricity and fuel.
In recent days, Russia has been trying to get the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution condemning violence against civilians during the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in which there is no mention of Hamas. On Monday, the Security Council rejected the resolution.
"Let's speak frankly."This is manna from heaven for Russia,— said one senior EU executive. "I think it harms what is happening, because Russia is exploiting this crisis, saying to a billion residents of the Middle East and the Arab world: 'Look, the world order that was built after World War II is working against you.'"
Arab States, especially Jordan and Egypt, demand that Western leaders toughen their positions in protecting the civilian population of Gaza. "If you call cutting off water, electricity in Ukraine and depriving the Ukrainian population of food a crime, then you should say the same about Gas," said one Arab leader.
They note a change in the tone of some Western states in recent days. On Sunday, the EU and Britain announced an increase in aid supplies to Gaza.
American President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit Israel on Wednesday, and then meet in Amman with the leaders of Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority. The second part of the visit was canceled after a deadly explosion occurred at a hospital in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The White House announced its intention to "reaffirm that Hamas is not fighting for the right of the Palestinian people to dignity and self-determination, as well as to discuss the humanitarian needs of the civilian population in Gaza."
Demonstrating a concerted desire to maintain contacts with developing countries, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said on Tuesday that he had spoken with the foreign ministers of Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Morocco and Saudi Arabia in recent days.
At an extraordinary summit of EU leaders held by video link on Tuesday, some leaders warned that refusing to defend the rights of Palestinians in Gaza is fraught with accusations of duplicity against them. This was stated by many sources familiar with the discussion.
The reason for this discussion was the irritation of the leaders of many EU countries caused by the actions of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Last week, she decided to go to Israel without having the authority from the 27 member countries of the bloc and without having worked out an agreed position. Dublin, Madrid and Luxembourg were unhappy that, speaking in Tel Aviv, von der Leyen did not even mention international humanitarian law.
"New Delhi, Jakarta and Brasilia want to see a common position on this issue, and they need consistency. And if they do not see this, then there is a certain danger that they will not take the EU, the G7 and NATO seriously on important international issues," said former NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
"We, the West, no longer set the tone, and the Global South says: "We also have the right to vote, which you have neglected for a long time," added the former Secretary General, who now heads the Netherlands Institute of International Relations (Clingendael Institute).
The resolution proposed by Russia was supported by only four countries – China, the United Arab Emirates, Mozambique and Gabon. But many Western diplomats are alarmed to say that, as amended, the Russian resolution [on the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict] can gain the necessary nine votes and will be adopted. The United States, Britain or France can veto it, and this will be a propaganda victory for Moscow.
"We must not allow Russia, with the support of China, to seize the initiative and use it against us," said a senior Western diplomat. "There is a danger that during the next vote in the UN General Assembly on support for Ukraine, there will be much more abstainers."
France, in particular, is concerned about the possibility of an escalation of the conflict between Hamas and Israel. She believes that Russia no longer plays the traditional role of a great power in this region and does not restrain its allies, but sees the conflict as a good opportunity to waste American resources and divert attention from Ukraine.
"Russia is very interested in prolonging this conflict, given that it distracts attention and changes the international interpretation of events," said one Western foreign minister.
Biden, von der Leyen and the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who represents the leaders of the 27 EU member states, will meet at the White House on Friday. At it, European and American diplomats will try to work out a common position.
"Europe should not be in a hurry here," this minister said. – Firstly, we are a little confused, but I think that now we are better coordinating efforts in terms of protecting fundamental rights, and we see both sides."
Author: Henry Foy
Andrew England, Ben Hall and Felicia Schwartz provided their material for the article.
