Vantage | Three reasons why the Global South is against Israel

The Israel-Hamas war has put the world in a tough spot. Inevitably, lines will be drawn and camps will be created. Let us know where the Global South, or so-called developing world, stands. How do they see the Israel-Hamas war? They see through many factors, like their own history of colonial oppression, their opposition to Western double standards, and, of course, their current politics; among them, Latin America stands out. Countries there have clearly picked a side, and it’s not Israel; take Bolivia, for example. Their government has decided to cut all diplomatic ties with Israel.

“Based on its principled stance of respect towards life, [Bolivia] has decided to break diplomatic relations with the Israeli state in repudiation and condemnation of the aggressive and disproportionate Israeli military offensive taking place in the Gaza strip, which threatens international peace and security,” said Bolivian deputy foreign minister, Freddy Mamani.

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Now, there is history here; Bolivia did the same thing in 2009 as well, when Israel invaded the Gaza Strip. Bolivia had cut off ties. And now, we are seeing a repeat of that. But it’s not just Bolivia. Chile and Colombia have pulled out ambassadors from Israel. Chile is accusing Israel of breaking international laws.

Colombia went a step ahead. Their president compared Israel to Neo-Nazis.

Desde muy joven estudie el conflicto palestino israelí y se de la inmensa injusticia que ha sufrido el pueblo palestino desde 1948.

Igual que se de la inmensa injusticia que sufrió el pueblo judío por los nazis en Europa desde 1933.

Si hubiera vivido en la Alemania del 33… https://t.co/IkxuRynaF9

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 8, 2023

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Now, Colombia may be an extreme case. But the overall sentiment in Latin America is clear. They want Israel to stop the attacks. To declare a ceasefire now. Even the major Latin American powers agree, like Brazil, whose president, Lula da Silva, recently called Netanyahu insane.

“What we have is the insanity of the prime minister of Israel, wanting to end the Gaza strip, forgetting that there are not just Hamas soldiers there. There are women there, and there are children who are the great victims of this war,” said Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Why is Latin America against Israel?

Before we answer that, we analysed the recent UN general assembly vote on a Gaza ceasefire. 120 countries voted for it. So the resolution was adopted. But based on how each country voted, the overall picture is clear. The Global South wants a ceasefire. Most of them are against Israel.

The question is: Why?

Well, we can think of three reasons. One is history; the global south was a victim of colonialism. They have experienced occupation and discrimination firsthand. So, many of them relate to Palestine and their decades of suffering.

In Cape Town, South Africa, there was a massive pro-Palestine rally, and the grandson of Nelson Mandela was leading it. He drew parallels between his own country and Palestine.

“Palestinians are counting on each and every one of us, to stand and be counted like they stood side by side with us in the trenches when we fought to liberate our country,” said a member of the South African parliament and Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Nkosi Zwelivelile Mandela.

Reason number two, their priorities, the Global South cannot afford to play big power politics. They have more pressing issues like fighting inflation and poverty, so their response to most wars is the same. Stop it.

Just consider Russia’s war on Ukraine. The UN General Assembly passed a similar resolution, asking for a Russian withdrawal. And how did the Global South vote? The same way.

Around 141 countries opposed Russia. It doesn’t mean they have cut diplomatic relations with Moscow. It means that when given a choice, they wanted to end the war.

And why not?

When Russia invaded Ukraine, food prices shot up, and the Global South suffered. Now, Israel is attacking Gaza. Iran is talking about a wider war; again, it is the Global South that will suffer. Most of them depend on West Asian oil.

If the war spills over, their import bills will increase, so it’s not just moral compulsion or humanitarian principles. It’s also their own economic and political situation.

And finally, reason number three. Rejection of the existing world order. Just think about it. As many as 140 out of 193 countries wanted Russia to stop attacking Ukraine. Yet, the war continues. Similarly, 120 countries want Israel to cease fire. Yet their attacks continue.

What does that tell you?

The existing world order simply doesn’t make sense, and the Global South is pushing against it. They see Israel as an extension of this Western hypocrisy. Hence the outrage.

The Western policy right now is to ignore the Global South.

But for how long?

The recent wars have marked the emergence of this new political bloc. Yes, there are internal divisions. But the overall message seems to be clear: Don’t take us for granted.

Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._

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