Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long emphasised his ambition to transform Israel into a major gas exporter. The war on Gaza, and now Lebanon,clears the way for Israel to fully control the natural gas reserves off Gaza’s coast, says the writer.
Gillian Schutte
To date, the ongoing war in Gaza has claimed over 42 000 Palestinian lives, with more than 2 000 civilians killed in Lebanon following Israel’s expanded military operations.
The destruction is staggering, and yet, rather than condemning these actions, the West has actively facilitated Israel’s aggression through political cover and immense military aid.
While Israel publicly claims its objectives are to neutralise Hamas and free hostages, these justifications ring hollow. The reality is far more calculated and insidious. The war is a means for Israel and its Western allies to secure control over critical resources and geopolitical routes, particularly through the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and the strategic expansion of Israeli influence through projects like the proposed Ben Gurion Canal.
The West’s involvement in this war is not merely passive. Reports show that the United States alone has provided an unprecedented $17.9 billion in military aid to Israel since the war began in 2023. This includes everything from thousands of artillery shells, 2 000-pound bunker-buster bombs, and precision-guided munitions, to billions spent on replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling missile defence systems.
This military support has allowed Israel to relentlessly bomb Gaza and, more recently, southern Lebanon with devastating efficiency. The staggering amount of aid provided is a clear signal of the West’s willingness to uphold Israel’s actions, despite the human cost.
This is not merely about military support or political loyalty. The West, particularly the US and Europe, stands to gain economically from Israel’s domination of the region. The IMEC, endorsed during the 2023 G20 summit, offers Western powers an alternative route for energy and trade in the wake of the Ukraine war. This corridor, linking India, the Middle East, and Europe, positions Israel as a crucial junction for trade and energy supplies, offering Europe a way to reduce its dependence on Russian gas.
Israel’s central position in this corridor is not incidental. The war on Gaza, and now Lebanon, clears the way for Israel to fully control the natural gas reserves off Gaza’s coast, which could significantly boost its role as an energy supplier to Europe.
Despite the manner in which the genocide in Gaza is portrayed in the mainstream media, it is, in effect, an economic and geopolitical war. The mainstream narrative focuses narrowly on the conflict as a security issue, framing it primarily around Israel’s efforts to eliminate Hamas and protect its citizens.
This portrayal overshadows the deeper, economic dimensions of the war. Key facts about Gaza’s offshore gas reserves and Israel’s broader strategic objectives, such as the proposed Ben Gurion Canal, are downplayed or omitted. Instead, the media predominantly highlights Israel’s self-defence narrative, avoiding critical examination of how the destruction of Gaza and the displacement of its population align with Israel’s economic ambitions.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long emphasised his ambition to transform Israel from a net importer of gas into a major gas exporter. With the discovery of significant offshore natural gas reserves, such as the Leviathan and Tamar fields, Netanyahu has positioned Israel as a key player in the global energy market.
His government’s strategic focus on these reserves, combined with potential future projects like the Ben Gurion Canal, aims to further cement Israel’s role as a leading supplier of gas, particularly to Europe, which seeks alternatives to Russian energy in the wake of the Ukraine war.
By eliminating Palestinian control over these vital resources, Israel not only strengthens its position in the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor but also aims to become a key player in global energy and shipping markets.
The mainstream media’s focus on military objectives has largely obscured these significant geopolitical and economic motivations, preventing a fuller understanding of the true stakes in this war.
Lebanon’s involvement in the conflict is also deeply tied to these strategic interests. The bombing of southern Lebanon, with over 2 000 civilians dead, serves the same purpose as the assault on Gaza: to dismantle any opposition to Israel’s regional dominance.
Hezbollah, based in Lebanon, is a formidable resistance force, and Israel’s military operations aim to weaken it in order to secure Israel’s control over the wider region. Western powers have largely supported this expansion of the war, seeing it as necessary to protect their economic interests tied to Israel.
The West’s lacklustre stance on the civilian casualties and humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Lebanon is damning.
The US and European countries have chosen to prioritise their economic and geopolitical interests over human rights and international law. Their support for Israel, both through military aid and political backing, reflects a broader strategy to reshape the Middle East in ways that benefit their economies. Europe, particularly in the aftermath of the Ukraine-Russia war, is desperate for new sources of energy. Israeli gas, especially from Gaza’s reserves, offers a critical alternative to Russian supplies. The IMEC and the potential Ben Gurion Canal provide strategic trade routes that would further integrate Europe’s economy with Israel’s, making Europe a willing partner in Israel’s war.
In addition, Western governments have gone to great lengths to suppress dissent within their own borders. Pro-Palestinian protests have been met with hostility, with activists arrested and their movements stifled. In the UK and elsewhere, governments have criminalised demonstrations against Israel’s actions, demonstrating how deeply entrenched their political and economic alliances with Israel have become. This repression of free speech and protest reflects the extent to which Western powers are willing to go to protect their interests, even as Israel’s actions amount to war crimes.
India’s role in this conflict cannot be overlooked. Traditionally a supporter of Palestinian rights, India has now aligned itself with Israel and the West, driven by the potential economic benefits of the IMEC. Indian soldiers fighting alongside Israeli forces highlight the extent of this new alliance, as India seeks to expand its influence in the Middle East and counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The shift in India’s foreign policy underscores how economic interests have taken precedence over moral considerations.
Ultimately, the war on Gaza and Lebanon is part of a broader global system of exploitation, in which Israel and its Western allies pursue economic dominance at the expense of human lives. The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor and the Ben Gurion Canal are central to this system, with Gaza and Lebanon paying the price.
As long as this system remains intact, the people of Gaza and Lebanon will continue to suffer, their lives sacrificed for the sake of profit and geopolitical control. The West’s role in this genocide is undeniable, and its complicity must be confronted. This is not a war for security – it is a war for control, and the world must wake up to the truth.
* Schutte is a film-maker, social justice and race-justice activist and public intellectual.
Cape Times