The realist case for Palestine

Realism invites us to look for root causes — and from this perspective it is apparent that Israel’s occupation regime is at the root of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Since October 7, foreign policy realists who were united in opposing escalation in Ukraine have split into two opposing camps. One side has taken a generally forgiving, or understanding, view of Israel’s response to Hamas’s terror assault. The other has been very critical of Israel’s attack on Gaza, siding more or less openly with the Palestinian cause. As those who follow me know, I belong squarely in the latter group.

Several of my fellow realists have reacted to our support for Palestine with dismay, arguing that this represents a betrayal of realism. The international relations scholar Philip Cunliffe, for example, last year took aim against what he described as “a distinctive strain of Leftist foreign-policy realism” — an apt description of my worldview — averring that “commentators, analysts, and streamers who managed to preserve their equanimity in the face of the war in Ukraine and indulge in open dissent are abdicating their intellectual independence along with their critical faculties in the face of the war in Gaza”.

In my latest article for UnHerd, I explain why I disagree, and why I consider support for Palestine — ethical-moral issues notwithstanding — to be fully in keeping with a realist understanding of international relations.

From a realist standpoint, it is apparent that Ukraine provoked Russia’s invasion by entangling itself with a military alliance that Moscow views as a threat to its vital security — hence the realist insistence on taking Russia’s security needs into consideration. By the same token, it should be equally apparent that Israel’s occupation regime, not least the 16-year blockade of Gaza, is at the root of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict — and is ultimately what provoked Hamas’s October 7 attack.

Read the full article here.

As always, any feedback is welcome. Please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Putting out high-quality journalism requires constant research, most of which goes unpaid. Plus, you’ll also get access to exclusive articles, such as my regular updates and commentary on the Israel-Gaza war.

Thomas Fazi

Website: thomasfazi.net

Twitter: @battleforeurope 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thomasfazi

Latest book: The Covid Consensus: The Global Assault on Democracy and the Poor—A Critique from the Left (co-authored with Toby Green)