Western powers are complicit in crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The West, led by the Trump administration, has enabled the Netanyahu government to commit crimes against humanity and has become complicit in the horrific catastrophe being inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza.

The war in Gaza has crossed many red lines, rendering Palestinian lives worthless, insignificant, and unimportant. Many of the horrific crimes against humanity committed by the Netanyahu government against the Palestinians in Gaza could have been prevented were it not for the almost unconditional and continuous political, economic, and military support of Western powers led by the United States. If that isn't complicity in war crimes committed against tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians, I don't know what is.

Western powers' claims of moral superiority appear to have been completely shattered, as evidenced by the fact that despite much of Gaza lying in ruins and more than 59,000 people having been killed, Western support continues unabashedly. While the majority of the 2.1 million Palestinians are starving to death, supplies of killing machines continue to flow, while suppliers show little loyalty to the worsening humanitarian catastrophe affecting all Gazans.

Before I discuss in detail the indispensable role of the United States in ending the war in Gaza, a brief review of what other Western powers have failed to do is in order.

France, the United Kingdom, and Germany's shortcomings

Western powers, particularly the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, have consistently supported Israel's assault on Gaza, claiming Israel's right to self-defense. Only in the past few weeks have these powers begun to consider addressing the horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza. They have considered measures—from trade suspensions and sanctions to public criticism and diplomatic efforts—to force Netanyahu to back down.

In addition, the United Kingdom, France, and Canada recently issued a joint statement threatening "concrete responses," including targeted sanctions, if Israel does not halt its renewed offensive and allow unhindered humanitarian access, insisting on immediate improvements in humanitarian access. The United Kingdom and France have also hosted joint international conferences to promote a ceasefire and a two-state solution, and have pledged diplomatic and financial support for peace initiatives.

Unfortunately, Western threats and limited action fall far short of what is desperately needed to end the horrific war crimes committed by Netanyahu and his government. They must impose an immediate embargo on all supplies of military equipment and spare parts, and, as Israel's largest trading partner, freeze all commercial transactions with Israel wherever it hurts. Only by taking these measures can Netanyahu and his corrupt government grasp the full extent of European anger.

US complicity in Netanyahu's crimes against humanity

The United States can exert far greater pressure on Israel than all other Western powers combined. Unfortunately, neither the Biden administration nor the Trump administration has used their enormous influence to compel Netanyahu to end the horrific war that is threatening to destroy what remains of Gaza and nearly wipe out its entire population.

The United States' commitment to Israel's national security has been a given since Israel's establishment in 1948. But 77 years later, despite successive US administrations upholding this commitment, Israel still feels insecure due to the ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. If the United States truly cared about Israel's national security, which it does, it should have alleviated the source of Israel's insecurity by relentlessly pressuring it to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians, where Israeli national security is paramount.

For decades, successive US presidents, including Trump, have championed the idea of a two-state solution. Despite repeated efforts over several decades to bring peace between the two sides, they have not taken concrete steps to pressure them to accept the only realistic outcome they advocated that could have ended the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Neither the Biden nor Trump administrations have once threatened, let alone imposed sanctions on Israel, to halt its indiscriminate bombing of Gaza and its deliberate choking of food, medicine, and water supplies, causing mass starvation. On the contrary, both continued to supply Israel with the weapons and ammunition it requested without reservation.

military aid to Israel

According to the Costs of War Project, which tracks US military aid and spending to Israel since the war began in October 2023, the United States has provided Israel with $22.76 billion in military aid. In January 2025, Trump authorized the export of 1,800 MK-84 bombs, each weighing 2,000 pounds (about a ton), to Israel, which the Biden administration had previously withheld in protest of Israel's actions in Rafah.

Instead of recognizing that this heinous Gaza war only reinforces the notion that only a two-state solution will end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump offered to seize Gaza to build a “luxury Riviera,” which will only perpetuate the deadly Israeli-Palestinian conflict for another generation.

Instead of disabusing Netanyahu and his government of the illusion of planning to rebuild new Jewish settlements in Gaza, Trump has continued to push the idea of transferring the Palestinians to a third country. This is nothing but music to Netanyahu's ears, and he praises Trump for his "creativity," because nothing will whet Netanyahu and his government's appetite more than seizing more Palestinian land and eliminating the Palestinians once and for all.

Instead of insisting on an immediate ceasefire and a clear exit strategy from Gaza, Trump continues to tread carefully, careful not to anger his political base, especially evangelicals. For these devout Christians, Israel can do no wrong, despite the deaths of thousands of innocent women and children, with hundreds more added to the death toll every week, while Netanyahu destroys Gaza's remaining infrastructure, rendering it uninhabitable.

Now, the Netanyahu government is forcibly displacing Palestinians from Gaza to the south and building a concentration camp over the ruins of Rafah. From there, the government plans to commit mass ethnic cleansing by expelling the Palestinians to a third country. Yes, another 1948-style Nakba is in the works.

Trump can end the war if he wants

Trump's emphasis on a ceasefire as a first step is urgent and necessary, but it must be just that. He must make it crystal clear to Netanyahu that during the cessation of hostilities, he must develop and present an exit strategy for Gaza. The war must cease and not be allowed to resume under any circumstances, and the flow of humanitarian aid must begin immediately in quantities sufficient to prevent mass starvation.

Yes, given Israel's dependence on the United States for many issues, including political cover, economic aid, and military assistance, Trump is in a stronger position than to beg, but rather to demand that Netanyahu adhere to the United States' demand to end this horrific war, the ultimate consequences of which are difficult to even imagine.

Trump, who aspires to win the Nobel Peace Prize, faces a crossroads. One path would see him remain silent in the face of this impending catastrophe, thereby making him complicit before the law in the war crimes committed in Gaza. The other path could help him realize his dream of ending the war in Gaza and starting an Israeli-Palestinian peace process that would lead to the only viable solution—the two-state solution.

Will he rise to the occasion and achieve what all his predecessors failed to achieve?

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