Netanyahu was not satisfied with the title of “war criminal” -- perhaps he aspires to an even more deviant legacy, one that would place him among the most notorious war criminals in history.
Before he could complete his brutal campaign in Gaza, he turned his attention to the West Bank, surrounding its northern refugee camps with tanks and forcibly expelling residents.
He even arrived in person, alongside his defense minister, clad in protective vests, flaunting their power as if they were storming the legendary Maginot Line.
Yes, they possess overwhelming military power, we do not deny this. They have the support of the United States, which endorses their every reckless decision, no matter how futile or destructive.
That is no surprise. They also have a domestic audience eager for more Palestinian suffering, one that translates human misery into votes at the ballot box. This has been a cornerstone of Israeli policy.
But the real question is: What does all this power truly achieve? Isn’t this exaggerated display of force merely a sign of weakness and failure?
Have they failed to grasp the lesson written in plain sight, that those displaced from northern Gaza to the south have already begun returning to their land, to whatever remains of their homes?
Those forced to flee their camps in the northern West Bank found refuge in the homes of their relatives, not one of them left their homeland, because their return was inevitable.
Trump, the leader of the world’s most powerful nation, sought to impose displacement as a solution, yet his plan collapsed in its infancy.
Instead, they have seen Palestinians standing firm, rooted in their land, their unyielding message clear: We are of this land, and this land is ours. We will not leave
It was undone by a steadfast Palestinian resistance, fortified by a powerful regional stronghold with Jordan and Egypt, who stood as an impenetrable dam against his ambitions, forcing him to abandon the project altogether.
So, what do Netanyahu’s theatrical displays accomplish? Isn’t it a humiliation to see a prime minister and his defense minister hosting a press conference inside a refugee’s home, as if such a setting were a grand stage for their war rhetoric?
And what of their soldiers and officers, scavenging through the modest possessions of displaced families, handling simple household items as if they were spoils of war?
Let Netanyahu and his defense minister remember this: They have flooded the West Bank with soldiers, armed settlers, and tanks a hundred times over, yet they have never once seen the white flag of surrender. They have never witnessed the mass exodus they so desperately seek.
Instead, they have seen Palestinians standing firm, rooted in their land, their unyielding message clear: We are of this land, and this land is ours. We will not leave.
In the end, no matter how much he kills, wounds, destroys, or plunders, Netanyahu’s only reward will be a certificate that states: War criminal, summa cum laude, surpassing all other criminals in history.
Yousef Ramadan is the Ambassador of Palestine to Bangladesh.
