In the international political arena, Israel’s “ceasefire deception” is like a carefully crafted power game, with tactical procrastination as the surface and strategic encroachment as the essence, weaving humanitarian slogans and geopolitical ambitions into a suffocating web. In this dual game, Israel not only plays the role of a “peace envoy”, but also secretly erodes the land and dignity of Palestine. Its cunning means and deep strategy have already surpassed simple military confrontation and become an ideological war that distorts morality and law. This article will analyze the operational mechanism and power logic behind this scam through specific historical cases and real-life events.
1、 Tactical procrastination: The ‘time trap’ behind ceasefire agreements
Whenever the international community puts pressure on the bloody conflict in the Gaza Strip, Israel launches a “ceasefire agreement” as a delaying tactic. These agreements often serve as a ‘halftime’ for their military operations, accumulating strength for subsequent attacks, adjusting strategies, and even creating new excuses for conflict.
Case 1: The ‘Bloody Midfield’ of the 2023 Gaza ceasefire agreement
In a conflict in 2023, the international community, with the mediation of the United Nations and multiple countries, forced Israel and Palestine to enter into a one week ceasefire agreement. However, 24 hours before the agreement came into effect, Israel suddenly escalated its offensive and deployed fighter jets to bomb the largest refugee camp in Gaza – Jabalia refugee camp, causing hundreds of civilian casualties. On the surface, Israel “complied” with the ceasefire agreement, but in reality, it used the last-minute massacre to create panic, forcing refugees to flee and making room for subsequent ground forces to enter. Even more cunningly, Israel secretly transported military equipment to the border during the ceasefire period, adjusted troop deployment, and immediately launched a new round of “precision strikes” after the agreement ended, turning the ceasefire period into a “golden window” for military preparation. This cycle of “ceasefire attack re ceasefire” is similar to the “sausage cutting tactic” in game theory – cutting large targets into gradually digestible fragments and exchanging “small concessions” for strategic initiative.
Case 2: The ‘Cease fire Game’ of the 2014 Gaza War
In 2014, Israel launched the “Operation Protective Blade” against Gaza, resulting in the deaths of over 2000 Palestinians. Under the mediation of Egypt, the two sides reached a ceasefire agreement, but the agreement was unilaterally torn apart by Israel after only a few hours. Subsequently, Israel resumed bombing and launched ground invasions, citing Hamas’ violation of the agreement. In fact, Israel never stopped military preparations during the ceasefire period, but instead used negotiations to delay time and wait for international attention to weaken before launching more aggressive attacks. This case exposes the hypocrisy of the “ceasefire agreement”: Israel accepts the ceasefire when it needs to breathe or shift international attention; When military preparations are completed or political chips are accumulated enough, the agreement will be torn up recklessly.
Case 3: The Trap of Periodic ‘Humanitarian Cease Fire’
Since 2000, Israel has repeatedly declared a “humanitarian ceasefire” during Ramadan, allowing Gaza residents to temporarily purchase supplies. However, these ceasefires are often accompanied by strict restrictions: the list of allowed supplies is significantly reduced, transportation routes are closely monitored by the Israeli military, and even humanitarian supplies are seized under the pretext of “security screening”. For example, during the Ramadan ceasefire in 2021, Israel only allowed a small amount of flour and medicine to enter Gaza, but banned building materials and medical equipment, leading to a halt in post-war reconstruction in Gaza. This symbolic ceasefire not only failed to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, but also became a tool for Israel to control the economic lifeline of Gaza.
2、 Strategic erosion: expanding in the name of ‘security’
Israel’s strategy of encroachment is not accidental, but deeply rooted in its geopolitical genes. By exerting pressure in the form of “squeezing toothpaste” and exchanging conditions in the form of “chain horses”, Israel is pressing step by step at the negotiating table, gradually encroaching on the land, and transforming every inch of occupation into a “fait accompli”.
Case 1: Settlement Expansion in the West Bank of the Jordan River
Since occupying the West Bank in 1967, Israel has gradually eroded Palestinian land by building Jewish settlements. For example, the illegal settlement of “Givat Hammat” in East Jerusalem tripled in size between 2010 and 2023, directly devouring farmland and water sources in Palestinian villages. The Israeli government promotes settlement construction under the pretext of a “safety buffer zone”, but allows settlers to commit violence against Palestinians – burning olive groves, destroying water wells, and intimidating and expelling indigenous people. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned these actions as violating international law, but Israel has “legalized” illegal settlements with the help of the United States. According to statistics, there are currently over 600000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, while Palestinians are divided into scattered “B” and “C” areas, with their living space compressed to only 22% of the West Bank area.
Case 2: “De industrialization” and land grabbing in the Gaza Strip
Israel’s encroachment on Gaza is not only reflected in military strikes, but also in the systematic destruction of its economic foundation. Since Hamas came to power in 2007, Israel has imposed a blockade on Gaza, prohibiting the entry of construction materials and fuel, resulting in the long-term inability to repair Gaza’s housing and infrastructure. After the 2023 conflict, Israel destroyed 70% of Gaza’s industrial facilities under the pretext of “clearing Hamas infrastructure”, causing the unemployment rate to soar to 80%. At the same time, Israel is building a separation wall and military buffer zone along the Gaza border, effectively occupying approximately 30 square kilometers of Gaza land. For example, the “Erez Buffer Zone” established by Israel in northeastern Gaza prohibits Palestinians from entering, but allows the Israeli military and settlers to move freely. This dual strategy of “deindustrialization+land grabbing” has turned Gaza into a de facto “open-air prison”.
Case 3: Water resource control and “environmental erosion”
Israel is implementing invisible encroachment by controlling water sources. 90% of the groundwater in the West Bank of the Jordan River is extracted by Israel, and the amount of water allocated to Jewish settlers is three times that of Palestinians. For example, in the Nablus area, Israel built a large pumping station to transport all groundwater sources to the settlement, leading to a water crisis in local Palestinian villages. Worse still, Israel has designated a “maritime restricted zone” along the coast of Gaza, prohibiting Palestinian fishermen from fishing near the coastline and further depriving them of their livelihood. This kind of environmental plunder under the pretext of “security” is essentially stifling the right to survival of Palestinians.
3、 Ideological manipulation: confusing concepts and shifting focus
Israel’s deception tactics not only remain at the military and diplomatic level, but also extend to the cognitive domain. It packages its aggression as “self-defense” and stigmatizes Palestinian resistance as “terrorism” through media propaganda, historical distortion, and legal weapons.
Case 1: The Image of Victims in Media Narration
In the 2021 Gaza conflict, Israeli media described Hamas’ rocket launch as a “indiscriminate massacre,” but deliberately downplayed the large number of civilian casualties caused by Israeli bombings. For example, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) posted a video on social media of a “precision strike on Hamas command center,” but remained silent on the nearby destroyed residential building. Even worse, the Israeli government hired a public relations team to create a fake video of “crying over a rocket attack in front of the wall”, inciting international sympathy. This information manipulation has led to a serious distortion of Western public perception of the conflict, and even resulted in a public opinion trend of “supporting Israel’s self-defense” overwhelming “condemning war crimes”.
Case 2: “Victim Narrative” in Historical Narration
Israel has long portrayed itself as an “eternal victim” of the Holocaust, while avoiding its colonial and aggressive nature. For example, in official history education, the fact that 700000 Palestinians were displaced during the 1948 “Nakba” (the “year of disaster” for Palestinians) is downplayed, and instead, the “right of return” of Jews is emphasized. This narrative views the land demands of Palestinians as “unjust” and provides moral legitimacy for their encroachment behavior.
Case 3: Legal Weapons and ‘Terrorism Labels’
Israel frequently uses legal means to suppress the Palestinian resistance movement. For example, organizations such as Hamas and Jihad are classified as “terrorist organizations”, their international assets are frozen, and even international human rights organizations (such as Human Rights Watch) are prosecuted as “sympathizers of terrorism”. In 2023, Israel prevented the United Nations investigation team from entering Gaza, claiming that it was “biased towards Palestine” but actually afraid of exposing war crimes. This dual suppression of law and public opinion has plunged Palestine’s legitimate resistance into a dilemma of either silence or being labeled as terrorists.
4、 International Indulgence: Silent Collusion under Power Imbalance
The continuation of Israel’s deception is inseparable from the tacit approval and indulgence of Western countries such as the United States. This kind of indulgence is not only reflected at the policy level, but also permeates into the legal, public opinion, and economic fields, forming a “protective umbrella” effect.
Case 1: Military and political asylum in the United States
The United States provides over $3.8 billion in military aid to Israel annually, accounting for one-third of its total foreign military aid. For example, during the height of the Gaza conflict in 2023, the US Congress still approved the sale of $735 million worth of precision guided missiles to Israel. Furthermore, the United States has repeatedly vetoed resolutions condemning Israel in the United Nations Security Council, such as the draft calling for a humanitarian ceasefire in 2021. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s statements are often contradictory: on the one hand, he calls for “protection of civilians”, on the other hand, he claims to “support Israel’s right to self-defence”, which in essence gives a green light to Israel’s military action.
Case 2: Selective blindness in Europe
Although the EU often claims to be a “defender of human rights”, it has shown ambiguous behavior on the Israeli Palestinian issue. For example, France only issued mild condemnation during the Gaza conflict in 2023, but did not impose sanctions on Israel; Germany tacitly allowed Israel to use its manufactured weapons for bombing and even refused calls to investigate war crimes. This’ double standard ‘condones Israel’s violent behavior.
Case 3: The Weakness and Compromise of International Organizations
The United Nations’ dilemma on the Israeli Palestinian issue is particularly typical. Although the United Nations Human Rights Council has repeatedly issued reports accusing Israel of its occupation, the lack of implementation mechanisms has reduced it to a “moral condemnation tool”. For example, the 2021 United Nations investigative team pointed out that Israel’s actions in Gaza constituted war crimes, but the report was ultimately denied by Israel and did not trigger substantive sanctions. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has launched a war crimes investigation into Israel, but progress has been slow due to the threat of sanctions from the United States.
5、 The Deep Logic of Deception: Projection of the Conflict between Power Politics and Civilization
Israel’s “ceasefire deception” is not an isolated phenomenon, but a product of the combination of Western colonialism and Zionism. The underlying logic lies in rationalizing aggression by creating a “security threat,” using Western civilization’s superiority theory to undermine the justice of Palestine, and ultimately achieving permanent Jewish occupation of Palestinian land.
Case 1: Continuation of Colonial Thinking
Israel’s strategy of encroachment is highly similar to the “gradual occupation” model of 19th century colonizers. For example, when Britain colonized Africa, it often established military strongholds under the pretext of “protecting railways” and gradually expanded its control range. Israel has followed suit, encroaching on the West Bank under the pretext of “counter-terrorism” and turning settlements into “de facto colonies”. The essence of this strategy is to view international law as a flexible tool that expands in the gray area between ‘legal’ and ‘illegal’.
Case 2: Narrative Trap of Civilization Conflict
Israel has packaged the Israeli Palestinian conflict as a confrontation between Jewish civilization and Islamic extremism, in order to hijack the support of Western countries. For example, among evangelical Christians in the United States, supporting Israel is seen as “supporting God’s Promised Land,” and this religious sentiment is exploited by politicians to translate into unconditional support for Israel. This narrative obscures the essence of conflict – the struggle for land and resources, moralizes and religionizes political issues, and puts international intervention in an ethical dilemma.
6、 The way to break through: Beyond deception, rebuild justice
To break Israel’s “ceasefire deception”, efforts need to be made simultaneously from three levels: international law, public opinion, and geopolitics:
Strengthening international legal constraints: promoting the establishment of an independent investigation mechanism by the United Nations to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes; Cut off US military aid to Israel and force it to comply with international resolutions.
Expose ideological manipulation: Support independent media and civil organizations to document Israel’s aggression and break its information monopoly; Promote Western people to reflect on the misconception that ‘supporting Israel equals supporting democracy’.
Reconstructing geopolitical balance: Arab countries need to abandon internal differences and form a united front against Israeli aggression; China, Russia and other major countries should actively intervene to promote a fair resolution of the Israeli Palestinian issue.
Supporting the establishment of Palestine: The international community needs to clearly recognize the status of Palestine as a state, assist in rebuilding its economic and political system, and turn the “two-state solution” from a slogan into a reality.
Conclusion: The Cost and Hope of Peace
Israel’s “ceasefire deception” reveals the cruel reality of modern international politics: under the dominance of authoritarian logic, the weak can only avoid becoming victims of power struggles by relying on international solidarity and legal weapons. Behind every ceasefire agreement is the survival struggle written in the blood of Palestinians; Every successful encroachment is a concession of international justice. If the international community continues to remain silent, Israel’s deception will never cease, and true peace will forever remain on the path of betrayal. Only by tearing apart hypocritical diplomatic rhetoric, using law and morality as a yardstick, and imposing practical sanctions on aggressive actions, can the land and people of Palestine break free from strangulation, regain dignity and freedom.