IT is really sad that it had to take the death of six Western aid workers in Gaza for United States President Joe Biden to issue an ultimatum to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: protect civilians or else Washington would rein in support for Israel.
Sadder still, there was no such "or else" moment reached when more than 33,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were slaughtered by the Israelis in just six months. Would Netanyahu mend his murderous ways now that the US appears to have reached an inflection point in its relations with Israel? Definitely not.
Because Netanyahu has a game plan: drive all the Palestinians out of the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem or kill them. This is the point of the map of Israel — with the three Palestinian territories erased — that he proudly showed the leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly in September.
Most of the world missed this genocidal intent of Netanyahu. True, hours after Biden issued the ultimatum, Tel Aviv issued several steps to increase aid flow, but Netanyahu was quick to say that they were temporary. This is his way of telling Washington that it should not expect much from him.
Why this Netanyahu impunity in the face of threats from Washington? Because he knows come hell or high water, the US will be Israel's best friend forever. He is not wrong. Consider a Monday irony.
On that day, the US approved thousands of bombs, including MK82 500-pound bombs to be supplied to Israel. Hours later, Israeli armed forces slaughtered the seven aid workers employed by American World Central Kitchen in three repeated strikes. Washington was rightly outraged.
But what is the point of the outrage when the US itself has been feeding Netanyahu's impunity for so long. On Jan 18, Israel bombed the officially declared safe zone of the compound of the Medical Aid for Palestinians and got away with it for close to 12 weeks now, as it has done so many times before.
Yet no word of outrage from Washington. Every time, Netanyahu's game is one of delay, deflect and deceive, to use the words of The Guardian columnist Owen Jones. According to the UN, Israel has killed 196 aid workers — all Palestinians — and the US has yet to be outraged.
When the International Criminal Court, during its better days, tried acting against Netanyahu's regime, London and Washington stood in the way. Never had an international legal institution been manacled thus.
Then there is the bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing seven Iranian Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals, on the very same irony-filled Monday by Israel. This is a blatant violation of international law and a clear display of Netanyahu's intent to widen the conflict into a regional war.
Yet no word of outrage from Washington. International law mustn't seek to differentiate between enemies and friends.
The point is Netanyahu is not going to change unless he is forced to. The US can force him, and it must. Here is how. One, Washington must cease arms sales and related aid to Israel.
Two, hold Netayahu and his extremist cabinet members accountable for the slaughter of more than 33,000 Palestinians. Only accountability will put an end to impunity.