Israel, Gaza bloodshed divides the world, isolates West

PARIS, Oct 14, 2023 (AFP) - The global response to the bloodshed in Israel and Gaza has revealed deep divisions, with Western countries increasingly isolated on the global stage, a trend that has gathered pace since the outbreak of the Ukraine war.

On the day of Hamas' unprecedented attacks on Israel, Western countries condemned the militant group's onslaught in the strongest terms insisting "nothing justifies terrorism".

While some non-Western countries such as Argentina and India have shown solidarity with Israel, many others have called for deescalation including regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco and Turkey, and global powers Russia and China. Algeria, Iran, Sudan and Tunisia have openly expressed support for Hamas.

Thousands of people across the Middle East gathered to demonstrate in support of the Palestinians.

More than a year-and-a-half after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a number of countries outside of the West's sphere of influence are refusing to bow to pressure from Ukraine's allies to support Kyiv.

"The two trends intersect in the narratives of the states of the 'global south'," said Hosni Abidi, director of the Geneva-based

Center for Arab and Mediterranean Studies and Research. The war in Israel "further deepens a fissure already visible over Ukraine".

This conflict "shows the extent of this divide in the majority of the countries of the South -- and particularly in Africa and in the Arab and Muslim world", he said.

In an increasingly fragmented world, all eyes are now on the fate of the Palestinian people.

The issue is especially fraught for those Arab states that have normalised relations with Israel while still proclaiming unwavering support for the Palestinians.

"(Arab countries) are now afraid of the reaction of their own people," said Francois Heisbourg of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

The Palestinian cause has long been a rallying cry of non-aligned countries.