Contributed from Victoria

From the day the Israeli-Hanas ceasefire was signed on 19 January, Israel has continued to violate it terms under the protection of Washington and its allies. This includes the Australian government, which has joined in turning its back on the plight of the Gaza population.

Israel prepared the ground for this attack with weeks of preventing food, water, and medical supplies reaching the Gaza population. Isreal’s allies kept silent on this too.

Encouraged by this gift of immunity and the ambitions of forces around President Benjamin Netanyahu, and his battle for his own survival as head of state, violations of the peace agreement moved a step closer to the resumption of all-out war, by yesterday’s (18 March 2025) biggest yet air strikes. And this shift is being assisted by the ongoing hypocritical silence of Washington and its western allies.

In February, just days after being named as the new Israel Defence Forces (IDF) chief, Major General Eyal Zamir said that “2025 will continue to be a year of combat.” Here was an early warning about what was to come.

Photo from the Israeli Defence Force/i24 news: Major General Eyal Zamir

Justification made for the escalation of attacks is the pretence that Hamas is holding back on negotiations on the terms of the ceasefire. The truth is the blame rests on Israel’s continuing attacks. And it rests on Washington, which was given advance warning new and larger scale air strikes. In these circumstances, silence means compliance.

These air strikes have been launched against targets in Gaza, once again targeting the Palestinian civilian population. Medics on the ground have reported that these are the worst yet and caused 400 deaths. An escalation of this sort had been expected, and that this was timed to coincide with United States air strikes against nearby Yemen is no accident.

Israel launches strikes across Gaza Strip, killing dozens and ending ceasefire

Video from Al Jazeera English

Everything amounts to a two-pronged attack involving the two nations, and the silence of complicit allies like the Australian government and opposition.

Nor is it a mere coincidence that the west has scaled up its attacks on critics of Israel and journalists under the guise of pretending to protect Jews against antisemitism.

Washington and Tel Aviv continue to work on a plan for the final destruction of Gaza and removal of the Palestinian people from this, the West Bank, and even the Palestinian part of Jerusalem. Everything serves the ambitions of a superpower determined to dominate the region and beyond, and the dreams of its Israeli proxy of its own expansionist ambitions.

Photo by Susan Walsh/AP: Donald Trum and Benyamin Netanyahu share a close personal relationship; The bombing raids could not have been conducted without Washington’s involvement

Their problem is that world opinion is sympathetic to the Palestinians and against the territorial expansion of Israel. A big part of this is the courage and resilience of these people who, despite everything that has been done to them, continue to resist their annihilation.

Another problem faced by Washington and Tel Aviv is the growing divide within Israeli society. On the one side, voices within Israel’s mottled coalition government under Netanyahu are agitating ever harder to resume all-out war. On the other, there is the growing trend within the wider Israeli community against continuing war.

The air strikes were made just hours before large demonstrations against the Netanyahu government were due to begin. Domestic politics played a significant role in what happened.

A special responsibility lies with the rest of the world. Israel and Washington must be pressed into honouring the peace. A peace that ensures Palestinian rights by means of a non-sectarian state, where all peoples can exist without discrimination.