LET’S EXPLORE THE PROSPECT OF A WORLD THAT DOESN’T INCLUDE ISRAEL
By Vincent Lyn
The era has arrived to envision a global landscape devoid of Israel.
If individuals are empowered to shape their perspectives on Israel, it’s evident that millions have solidified their stance, unequivocally viewing Israel as a rogue state. Many among them refuse to denounce armed resistance, juxtaposing it with Israel’s extensive history of violence, terror, and displacement of Palestinian civilians spanning over 75 years.
“Rogue state” denotes a political categorization reserved for nations exhibiting aggressive and unlawful conduct. This characterization of Israel may not be readily apparent when one listens to assertive Western news outlets and governments, particularly those led by the U.S, who frequently assert Israel’s “right to defend itself.”
Prior to October 7, Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians encompassed its unlawful occupation of Palestinian land, obstructing the fulfillment of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. This occupation is not only illegal but also mirrors a “settler-colonial” scenario, characterized by deliberate acquisition, segregation, and repression. Ending this intentional and oppressive settler-colonial occupation is imperative as a prerequisite for Palestinians to exercise their right to self-determination.
Nations emerge and fade in an eternal cycle that has characterized human civilization since antiquity. Numerous states, once convinced of their eternal permanence, have crumbled under the weight of their inherent contradictions.
In recent history alone, the world has observed the dissolution of numerous states, including the Soviet Union and the apartheid regime of South Africa. Notably, the demise of these entities occurred peacefully, without the torrents of bloodshed or the extermination of entire populations.
Hence, the notion that states are immutable and everlasting entities, incapable of peaceful dissolution, is entirely erroneous. What should remain immutable — or at least what ought to — is not the existence of any specific state, but rather the existence of a particular people. This brings us, in our current era, to the white supremacist apartheid regime in Israel.
The extent and severity of the violence and cruelty inflicted upon the Palestinians have reached such alarming proportions that even the prospect of a one-state solution seems unattainable, let alone the two-state solution proposed since the Oslo Accords of 1993.
Instead, the only conceivable resolution to this tragedy is the complete and peaceful dissolution of Israel, the dismantling of its governmental institutions, and the restoration of all land to its indigenous Palestinian inhabitants. Israeli citizens holding dual citizenship would, in such circumstances, have the option to return to their countries of origin across the globe, while those without dual citizenship could be accommodated by Western nations based on a predetermined quota system.
This rationale is founded on the understanding that the overwhelming majority of Israelis, having endured the privileges of a supremacist apartheid system, would resist living in a unified state alongside Palestinians under conditions of equal civil, social, and economic rights. They have been conditioned to view Palestinians as belonging to a lower social caste and possessing inferior character.
Naturally, the Palestinians would rightfully determine the political and civil framework of any prospective Palestinian state, in collaboration with regional stakeholders, the United Nations, and the broader international community. Moreover, appropriate reparations would inevitably need to be provided to the Palestinians by the U.S and the U.K — both instrumental in the establishment and sustained existence of Israel — for any such process to satisfy the demands of historical justice.
In essence, we’re discussing a complete reversal of the Nakba of 1948, which entails the repatriation of all Palestinian refugees to the homes seized from them by white European settlers in the name of Zionism. Zionism, as an ideology, falls under the umbrella of white supremacy, a doctrine rooted in the structural oppression of another group based on the principle of might makes right. It’s crucial to recognize that white supremacy extends beyond racial boundaries; it’s also an ideological construct.
The prospect of this reversal and restitution is unlikely to materialize in the near future. However, considering the current extent of brutality and its inevitable escalation of mutual animosity and fear, I firmly believe this is the trajectory we’re now heading towards.
Israel has relied heavily on Western support since its inception on land ethnically cleansed of Palestinians in 1948. Throughout its history, it has never experienced complete economic or political autonomy. Initially, the British, who initiated this colonialist act through the Balfour Declaration in 1917, and later the Americans, have served as its geopolitical overseers. Without their economic, geopolitical, military, and diplomatic backing, Israel’s existence as an apartheid, ethno-religious, white supremacist state would have been unsustainable.
The bitter irony for Jewish citizens of Israel is that a state intended to serve as a safe haven has failed in that promise. In reality, there is arguably no place less safe for Jewish people than the State of Israel. Its existence is rooted in the displacement and oppression of an indigenous population who refuse to fade into history quietly.
No, a state defined by perpetual war, brutality, and injustice is utterly unsustainable in the long run. In the short term, Palestinian lives, including those of infants, are continually violated and extinguished in a ceaseless cycle of immorality.
There is hope in the unprecedented global support for the Palestinian people amid the unprecedented violence and slaughter inflicted upon them in Gaza and the West Bank. Particularly in the Western world, including the U.S, mass demonstrations have defied an international political and media establishment that has never been more discredited and scorned than on the issue of Israel/Palestine. This signifies a significant turning point in human affairs.
Western governments, notably the one in Washington, will soon realize that in this era of late capitalism and declining Western dominance, Israel is not a strategic asset but a strategic liability. Despite the massive financial aid to Tel Aviv, continuous military support, and the efforts of the Israel lobby to control the narrative, the outcome is now inevitable.
In the end, as long as the Palestinian flag does not wave over Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and every corner of Mandate Palestine, the brutality of occupation, settler aggression, and collective reprisals will persist. Moreover, the deeply ingrained racial supremacy within Israel necessitates a crucial process of re-humanization for the Israeli populace, benefiting not only them and the Palestinians but the entire region.
The core of the crisis does not stem from Israel’s actions; rather, it originates from Israel’s fundamental existence. It represents a failed venture in white supremacy and settler colonialism, and consequently, must be terminated for the well-being of the long-oppressed Palestinian populace, the region, and indeed, the entire world.
Indeed, the moment has arrived to envision a world devoid of Israel.
Vincent Lyn
CEO & Founder of We Can Save Children
Deputy Ambassador of International Human Rights Commission (IHRC)
Director of Creative Development at African Views Organization
Economic & Social Council at United Nations (ECOSOC)
Rescue & Recovery Specialist at International Confederation of Police & Security Experts