Israel’s use of ‘dirty diplomacy’ to force the resistance to surrender

By Elijah J. Magnier:

Less than 24 hours after the American-Qatari-Egyptian announcement of an imminent ceasefire agreement in Gaza, the Israeli occupation forces bombed the “Al-Tabeyeen” school in Gaza, home to over 6,000 displaced civilians, killing more than a hundred and wounding dozens. This is the fifth school bombed since the beginning of August and one of the 3471 massacres committed by Israel in Gaza in the last ten months. The bombed school, which was sheltering civilians who had been displaced several times from different areas of Gaza, became the target of indiscriminate Israeli precision bombs from the US and Germany. The reason for such actions lies in the fact that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government faces no accountability from the international community or institutions for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. This lack of accountability has emboldened an extremist government and society to kill non-combatant Palestinians with impunity.

Another reason for these actions is Israel’s absolute support and protection by the United States at the United Nations, which helps Netanyahu cover up his crimes and violate all international laws. As a result, any talk of a ceasefire or negotiations is an illusion because ending the war would mean the end of Netanyahu’s political career. To avoid this, the Prime Minister disrupts the negotiations with mass killings because he is determined not to see a single Palestinian remain on Palestinian soil.

In a now familiar scene, Israel deliberately kills civilians during ceasefire negotiations to force the Palestinian resistance to surrender unconditionally. Known as ‘dirty diplomacy’, ‘coercive diplomacy’ or ‘strategic diplomatic violence’, this tactic is used to achieve political goals by putting psychological pressure on the opposing side. The aim is to break the opponent’s will to fight by killing large numbers of innocent civilians, thereby forcing them to accept the terms imposed.

This strategy demonstrates destructive power, instils fear and weakens the opponent’s morale by suggesting that continued resistance will lead to even more civilian casualties and suffering. The Israeli occupation army has been using this tactic for months, killing between 30 and 100 civilians a day in Gaza. The lack of international accountability for these actions, which amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, has allowed this approach to continue.

Such an unethical approach is a flagrant violation of international law, as the targeting of civilians is prohibited under international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, which are designed to protect non-combatants in war.

This tactic’s primary aim is to offer the opponent a way out if he complies with the aggressor’s unconditional demands. The approach relies on the gradual and continuous application of lethal pressure through conventional military superiority against civilian populations.

The historical context of dirty diplomacy