By : Mohammad Subaihi
Jordan Daily -The numbers tell a paradox. A nation of just over eight million people, surrounded by more than 240 million Arabs, wages war with impunity, violating international laws and human rights conventions- while the world watches, and the Arab world merely reacts.
Israel’s strategic playbook has been consistent: engage in tactical agreements, break them when convenient, and rely on the unwavering backing of the United States. Washington provides Israel with military, economic, and diplomatic cover, enabling its policies of occupation, expansion, and warfare. Meanwhile, Arab leaders continue to look to the same U.S. administration- Israel’s most devoted ally- to mediate peace.
The cycle is as predictable as it is futile. When Israel resumes its offensives, Arab capitals erupt in condemnation, issuing statements with “the strongest terms.” The United Nations is invoked, resolutions are drafted, and diplomats convene. But as a senior Israeli official bluntly stated, even if the Security Council were to meet daily, it would not halt Israel’s war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moves his forces across borders with the authority of a regional emperor, unchallenged. The Israeli military strikes at will, defying international outcry. Yet, no cohesive Arab plan exists to confront this reality. Governments hold summits, militaries conduct parades, and officials exchange pleasantries, but no decisive strategy emerges.
History offers little precedent for such an imbalance. What would Vietnam’s General Võ Nguyên Giáp, who defeated American forces, or Mahatma Gandhi, who dismantled the British Empire, say about this moment? What would Salah al-Din, who reclaimed Jerusalem centuries ago, think of an Arab world reduced to statements and summits while Israel escalates its actions without restraint?
The Arab world today is a case study in paralysis- governments burdened with bureaucracy, militaries weighed down by ceremony, and political elites tethered to outdated diplomacy. Meanwhile, Israel advances its objectives unimpeded. This is not merely a political failure; it is an existential crisis. And history will not judge it kindly.