The unholy land: Israel and Hamas are at a standoff Russia blocks the expansion of the UN panel of experts on North Korea

Easter is the highest Christian holiday. For the Holy Land, this usually means a large gathering of pilgrims. Not this year. Although Jerusalem is quiet, few foreign visitors have arrived. “It’s like the corona pandemic, but worse,” complains Jassir, the owner of a souvenir shop on Via Dolorosa.

Most tourists see the war images on television and do not dare to come, he told the German Evangelical Press Service. Numerous countries have also issued travel warnings, including Switzerland. In their Easter message, church leaders in Jerusalem call for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in the Gaza war.

Almost exactly six months have passed since Hamas terrorists broke through the border fortifications with the Gaza Strip and killed 1,200 people. About 250 people were taken hostage to Gaza. Just over 100 were exchanged for Palestinian prisoners during a brief ceasefire in November.

Fronts paved

In Doha, the capital of Qatar, a new deal was negotiated for weeks to release about 100 hostages, who are believed to be alive. This would entail a longer ceasefire. The messages are contradictory. There was sometimes talk of an impending breakthrough, but lately the fronts seemed to have hardened again.

The terror of October 7, 2023 traumatized Israel. But after almost six months of war, the successes are manageable. Large parts of Hamas’ infrastructure have been destroyed, but the Islamists have not been defeated. Like a hydra, new heads are constantly growing, as evidenced by the recent fighting in the so-called “pacified” north of the Gaza Strip.

Dispute over the Rafah offensive

Several Hamas battalions are also said to have holed up in the town of Rafah on the border with Egypt. Controversial Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s goal is to eliminate them. In doing so, he deepens the conflict with the US, Israel’s main supporter. The Biden administration rejects a ground offensive in Rafah.

The problem is the approximately 1.4 million Palestinian civilians who have fled to the border city in the south of the Gaza Strip. Israel had explicitly asked them for this at the beginning of the war. The administration talks vaguely about escape corridors, but the US fears it will worsen an already dire humanitarian catastrophe.

Too many victims, too little help

One signal was the abstention in the UN Security Council, with which the US helped push through a resolution for an “immediate ceasefire”. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned his Israeli counterpart Joav Galant on Tuesday that the number of civilian casualties was “far too high” and that the level of humanitarian aid was “far too low.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the situation in bleak terms in an interview with the BBC. 100 percent of the population in Gaza suffers from acute food insecurity: “It is the first time that an entire population has been classified in this way,” Blinken said in Manila.

Hunger as a weapon?

For Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, it is a “plausible assumption” that Israel is using hunger as a weapon in the Gaza war. This would amount to a war crime, the Austrian told the BBC. The Israeli government strongly rejects this, but children are said to have already died from malnutrition.

The humanitarian catastrophe is also causing a change in mood in the US. According to a Gallup poll released Wednesday, 55 percent oppose Israel’s military action in Gaza. Only 36 percent were in favor. Last November, 50 percent supported Israel’s war and 45 percent opposed it.

Biden’s anger at Netanyahu

This will hardly strengthen support for Israel in Washington. For President Joe Biden, it is also about the November elections. He is under pressure from young, left-wing and Muslim voters who vehemently reject the war in Gaza. Biden makes little effort to hide his anger at Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Israeli head of government likes to use harsh words, but in reality he is fighting for his political survival. A clear majority of the Israeli population holds him responsible for the fact that the border with Gaza was unprotected on October 7 and that Hamas terrorists were able to strike. Netanyahu is threatened with defeat in new elections.

Dream of renewed colonization

That is why he clings to power and is dependent on the right-wing extremists in his coalition. They dream of expelling the Palestinians and repopulating Gaza, which is about as realistic as the impending arrival of the Messiah. However, Netanyahu cannot present a convincing concept for the post-war period.

The fighting in Gaza has subsided and turned into a kind of small war. Only a few rockets are still flying towards Israel. But even if Hamas is physically defeated, extremism in people’s minds cannot be eradicated. Ultimately, the war has led Israel to a dead end, and there is currently no way out in sight.

There was no wildfire

However, the same can also be said of Hamas. If the terrorist organization hoped to start a fire by attacking Israel, it has seriously miscalculated. Although there are regular firefights with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Shiite militia is wary of a full-scale war with Israel.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria also remain relatively calm after threats of escalation with the US. Only the Houthi rebels in Yemen continue to attack ships in the Red Sea. Even the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan has not yet led to an escalation of violence.

The Hamas leadership appears to be frustrated by this. The military wing called for a “March on Jerusalem” via Telegram on Wednesday. However, the Arab states have not abrogated any of the peace treaties they signed with Israel. Even Saudi Arabia still does not rule out normalization with the Jewish state.

As a condition, Israel must present a plan to create a Palestinian state, which Netanyahu has so far rejected. However, ideas are already circulating because this is the only viable solution for this country that is so unholy at Easter 2024.