Israel Has Undermined the Very Capacity of Western States to Function as States

In the post-9/11 era, the West built its international legitimacy on a carefully crafted narrative of “universal values.” These included democracy, human rights, the right to life, freedom of expression and political participation, access to food, and protections for women, children, and the sick. Added to this were norms like the Geneva Conventions, the laws of war, and international humanitarian law—principles that allowed the West to project moral superiority as the foundation of its political dominance.

Even though Western powers routinely violated these values in regions outside their core interests, they were still held up by non-Western societies as ideals to aspire to—standards of civilization and benchmarks for political progress.

But the systematic genocide and mass targeting of civilians that Israel has carried out in Palestine has obliterated this moral ground—not only for Israel, but also for the Western states that support or enable these atrocities directly or indirectly. Israel is no longer acting like a sovereign state with the Weberian monopoly on legitimate violence. Instead, it resembles a mafia-like entity, brazenly violating international law, the sanctity of religious sites, and the immunity of civilians.

Early in the war, global outrage focused on the targeting of children, hospitals, schools, and places of worship. But over time, it became clear that Israel was not just ignoring humanitarian norms—it was actively dismantling the very framework of universal values that the West had spent a century constructing. Step by step, Israel eroded these norms with calculated, strategic intent. And throughout this process, the concerns of Muslim societies, the Christian world, and humanity’s moral conscience were flatly ignored.

At this point, no Western philosopher, political scientist, or ethicist can credibly speak of the West’s “moral superiority.” Israel has destroyed these values entirely—with the full backing of Western governments—displaying a pharaonic arrogance and a Hitlerian level of brutality. This genocide has been carried out under the supervision and approval of Western powers.

To their credit, Scandinavian countries, several Latin American states, Spain, Ireland, and ordinary citizens across the globe have vocally opposed this genocide. These popular movements—resisting the Zionist media monopoly and global political domination—represent a last stand for human moral resistance.

Türkiye, from the very beginning, took a stance different from that of Western states under the sway of global Zionism. President Erdoğan called Hamas fighters “a national resistance defending their homeland,” likening them to Turkey’s own historic resistance forces.

In contrast, when countries like the UK, France, and Canada attempted to condemn or sanction Israel, their efforts were sabotaged. In one instance, the Israeli government allegedly orchestrated a crisis by targeting its own intelligence operatives in the U.S., creating chaos that derailed diplomatic initiatives.

France’s recent announcement that it plans to recognize Palestine at the UN in September was dismissed by Israel as outright “support for terrorism.” This isn’t just a diplomatic dispute—it shows that Israel no longer respects the sovereign decision-making of other states.

Recent shifts in European attitudes toward Türkiye—such as the UK signing a Eurofighter agreement at Istanbul’s IDEF defense fair—signal that Europe is beginning to realize the strategic isolation Israel has imposed on them.

Defense industry partnerships are not merely economic; they also reveal the direction of geopolitical alliances. European governments are slowly recognizing that Israel is not only destroying shared values, but also undermining the basic principles of statehood. During its campaign in Gaza, Israel treated every European country with contempt—threatening France, emasculating Germany, and rendering the UK paralyzed. It engages only with the U.S., and even then, manipulates American politics to suit its interests.

The Epstein case in U.S. domestic politics further illustrates the shadow Israel casts over American governance—hanging like a “sword of Damocles.” These pressures point to more than just a crisis of values in the West; they signal a crisis of sovereignty.

Moves like France’s recognition of Palestine or the Eurofighter deals reflect Europe’s effort to reclaim its political agency. But it’s also increasingly clear that Israel no longer takes any European diplomatic effort seriously. With the U.S. turning its strategic focus inward since Trump, Europe’s position as an international actor has significantly eroded.

Israel is not just massacring a people—it is also demolishing the West’s two-hundred-year project of constructing a value-based political order. And in doing so, it is unraveling the existential legitimacy of European states themselves.