Foreign adversaries around the world are wading into the conflict in Gaza to denounce Israel's right to self-defense, with some openly calling for the use of nuclear weapons against the Jewish state.
Pakistan accused Israel of "war crimes" in a United Nations Security Council statement, but some officials are urging direct aggression. Pakistani member of parliament Maulana Chitrali advocated in a Tuesday televised speech for full-blown jihad against Israel, even urging the use of nuclear weapons to assist the terror group.
"Did we make atomic bombs to show them in a museum? We don't need missiles, atomic bombs or a huge army if they can't be used to liberate Palestine," Chitrali said.
Member national assembly Maulana Chitrali says jihad against Israel is the only option for Pakistan. 'We made atom bomb to showcase it in the museum? We don’t need missiles, atomic bombs or a huge army if they can’t be used to liberate Palestine and Kashmir." pic.twitter.com/TDOVbi2zZY
— Naila Inayat (@nailainayat) May 18, 2021
Some adversaries are making good on their violent threats. Rockets from the largely Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon hit the northern Israeli city of Haifa on Wednesday. Israeli military officials said four missiles came from Lebanon, resulting in alarms throughout the city. Iron Dome defense systems intercepted one of the rockets, and no casualties have yet been reported.
Anti-Israel sentiment is not limited to the Middle East. China has sponsored a plan at the United Nations that condemned Israel for its alleged war crimes but said nothing about terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians from Hamas and other Palestinian groups. A host on CGTN, a state-run Chinese media network, relied on anti-Semitic tropes to disparage America's support for Israel.
"[U.S. support for Israel] is traceable to the influence of wealthy Jews in the U.S.," the host appears to say. "Jews dominate internet, finance, and media sectors."
The Israeli embassy in China reprimanded Beijing for broadcasting the remarks, calling them "appalling" and "anti-Semitic."
Some Democrats are inviting more foreign meddling, including from Iran—one of Hamas's chief suppliers of weaponry and support. Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) met Tuesday with Iran's U.N. ambassador, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, in a rare meeting between Tehran and Washington politicians. The Democratic senator has criticized the Netanyahu government for a hostile "shift" in its policies toward Palestinians.