Israel Aggression and the Threat of Nuclear War

By Odile Hugonot Haber
Edited by Judith Hand

September 2024

On the 27th of June 2024, an article in Al Jazeera warned that tensions between the Lebanese groups Hezbollah and Israel would be increasing. By then, it was the 11th month of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas. Today, it is almost one year since the start of this war and it is estimated that 40,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza, with more than 100,000 wounded (Le Monde), and just under 800 Israeli military and police killed, according to authorities (Times of Israel). There is also increasing fear that Israel’s actions toward Iran might provoke a larger war, with the possibility of nuclear weapons.

At the recent Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons preparatory meeting on July 26, 2024 at the UN, Scottish parliament member Bill Kidd warned that, “A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”

Since late August, there has been an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, when Hezbollah sent a number of rockets towards Israel, claiming they were acting in retaliation for an Israeli airstrike in Beirut targeting a senior commander. The UN Security Council recently called for a halt to the growing attacks between Lebanon’s Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces, warning that further escalation “carries the high risk of leading to a widespread conflict.” In addition, Israel has carried out attacks in Yemen in July and Syria in September. 

The current events play into fears of how pro-Israel lobbies have influenced US foreign policy, described in the books “The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy” (2007) by Professor John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt and this year’s “Lobbying for Zionism On Both Sides of the Atlantic” by Illan Pappe. Pappe’s book described how over a century of aggressive pro-Israeli lobbies, which are comprised of arms dealers, the Christian Right and the zionist elements, convinced British and American policymakers to condone Israel’s flagrant breaches of international law, grant Israel unprecedented military aid and deny Palestinians rights.

The books detail how the US has given Israel aid to the tune of $18 billion, not including amounts given via additional budgets approved by the Congress for military aid, such as the Iron Dome program, on which the US Government has reportedly spent $2.9 billion.

The pro-Israel lobbies do not just work in defending Israel from its Arab neighbors, but also campaign for Isreal to target Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran. This could lead to a highly  inflammatory situation, as Iran has strategic partnerships with Russia and China. There is also fear, expressed by some such as Mersheimer and US economist Jeffrey Sachs, that Israel’s actions could rapidly deteriorate into a nuclear situation if any of these countries, under US and North American Treaty organization (NATO) pressure, feel backed against the wall.

At the NPT preparatory meeting Jackie Cabasso from the Western States Legal Foundation said she thought the situation in Israel and the hour were very grave. She witnessed no progress in the UN meeting in Vienna, and saw the addition of the Ukraine war aggravating the world outcome for safety. WILPF’s Ray Acheson also described the situation as very worrisome. Everyone is mindful about the danger of possible “annihilation.” Most of the nuclear countries are building up their arsenals, modernizing their weapon system at very high cost. The interactions between the US and Russia are very difficult. “We are fearing the collapse of international laws,” Acheson and Cabasso said.

On July 23, 2024, Bobby Verhey and Pranathi Chintalapudi delivered to the 11th Review Conference a statement on behalf of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF) and its youth initiative, Reverse the Trend, at the NGO session of the NPT Preparatory Committee to the 11th Review Conference.

“We are 90 seconds to midnight. A handful of increasingly belligerent leaders threaten the total annihilation of our world. At the same time, our leaders tell us the fallacy of nuclear deterrence. We teeter on the edge of wiping out our history and our cultures. As youth, we are the ones who will inherit this world: A world afflicted with perpetual conflicts, climate crises, and nuclear threats. Therefore, we call upon our leaders to hear us and act. We must work together,” the statement began. Click here to see the full video of the powerful statement they made, or here for the text of the statement.

The statement by  NAPF President, Dr. Ivana Nikolić Hughes is available here, as well as a link to an article published by Common Dreams. Documents that are useful are available on the site Reaching Critical Will.