Israel’s reputational self-immolation

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Former US national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski. Source: X

Former US national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski’s warning in 2002 that Israel was losing its global standing as Israeli-Palestinian violence escalated during the second Intifada or uprising against Israeli occupation seemed overstated at the time. However, looking back, Mr. Brzezinski’s warning rings prophetic.

"I think Israel's international position is very badly damaged. A country that started…as a symbol of recovery of a people who were greatly persecuted now looks like a country that is persecuting people. And that's very bad,” Mr. Brzezinski said.

"The Israelis are becoming increasingly like the white supremacist South Africans, viewing the Palestinians as a lower form of life, not hesitating to kill a great many of them and justifying this on the grounds that they are being the objects of terrorism,” he said.

Israel’s iron-fisted response to Palestinian suicide and other attacks on civilian Israelis during the second Intifada pales compared to Israel’s Gaza war conduct in reply to Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians.

Former US national security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski’s warning in 2002 that Israel was losing its global standing as Israeli-Palestinian violence escalated during the second Intifada or uprising against Israeli occupation seemed overstated at the time. However, looking back, Mr. Brzezinski’s warning rings prophetic.

"I think Israel's international position is very badly damaged. A country that started…as a symbol of recovery of a people who were greatly persecuted now looks like a country that is persecuting people. And that's very bad,” Mr. Brzezinski said.

"The Israelis are becoming increasingly like the white supremacist South Africans, viewing the Palestinians as a lower form of life, not hesitating to kill a great many of them and justifying this on the grounds that they are being the objects of terrorism,” he said.

Israel’s iron-fisted response to Palestinian suicide and other attacks on civilian Israelis during the second Intifada pales compared to Israel’s Gaza war conduct in reply to Hamas’ October 7 assault on Israel that killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians.