The phrase “never again” holds meaning only when it applies not just to one people, but to all peoples.
Although it may no longer dominate the international news agenda as it once did, the destruction, starvation, forced displacement, and mass death occurring in Palestine persist. This week, we wish to highlight the Israeli side of the issue—or more precisely, the position of the Israeli state regarding international law, human rights norms, and universal moral principles.
As Prof. Moshe Maoz states in his article titled “A Democracy Turned Pariah State: Israel’s Moral Unraveling,” Israel’s international standing has changed dramatically in recent years. Once viewed—despite all criticisms—as a “flawed democracy living under a security threat,” Israel is today increasingly perceived as a “pariah state.” This transformation is not the result of a single event; rather, it stems from an accumulation of policies, civilian casualties, a humanitarian catastrophe, and the perception of systematic violations of international legal norms in Gaza and the West Bank (https://ihcr.institute/writing/a-democracy-turned-pariah-state-israels-moral-unraveling/).
This isolation is not merely a political reaction from the outside; strong moral objections are also being raised from within Israel itself. Israeli human rights organizations such as B’Tselem (https://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20250728_our_genocide) and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/07/israel-opt-israeli-organizations-conclude-israel-committing-genocide-against-palestinians-in-gaza-in-another-milestone-for-accountability-efforts/) have published reports characterizing the events in Gaza as genocide; they have assessed the targeting of civil society, the healthcare system, living conditions, and essential humanitarian infrastructure specifically within the framework of grave crimes under international law. The International Criminal Court’s issuance of arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant—on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity—further demonstrates that this process has shifted from a matter of mere moral concern to a realm of legal accountability (https://www.icc-cpi.int/news/situation-state-palestine-icc-pre-trial-chamber-i-rejects-state-israels-challenges).
Of course, the attacks by Hamas against civilians on October 7, 2023, were unacceptable and cannot be justified in any way. However, no attack can legitimize the collective punishment of a people, the destruction of cities, the deaths of children due to starvation and bombardment, the dismantling of the healthcare system, or the suspension of international humanitarian law. The fact that the genocide case brought by South Africa against Israel at the International Court of Justice is ongoing—and that the Court continues to keep the matter on its agenda—demonstrates that the issue has been recorded in the global public consciousness not merely as a fleeting political debate, but as a historic matter of law and humanity (https://www.icj-cij.org/case/192).
This situation is particularly jarring given the historical weight of the principle of “Never Again.” The Jewish people have borne the trauma and memory of the Nazi genocide across generations. This memory serves as a universal moral warning—not only for Jews but for all of humanity: no people, no state, and no ideology may dehumanize another people in the name of security or revenge. The policies currently pursued by the Israeli government appear to represent a moral collapse because they contradict this universal principle.
Nevertheless, many Jewish individuals, academics, human rights defenders, and communities across the globe are opposing these policies, declaring “not in our name” (https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/resource/not-in-my-name-divest/). These voices are invaluable, for criticizing the policies of the Israeli government does not constitute antisemitism. On the contrary, upholding the principle of “Never Again”—one of the most significant moral legacies of Jewish history—on behalf of Palestinians as well is an act of defending universal human values. For this reason, the growing objections from certain Jewish communities in the diaspora regarding Israel’s policies in Gaza also warrant close attention (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/13/not-in-my-name-the-jewish-diaspora-fighting-the-consensus-on-israel). However, these objections are not yet sufficient to alter the course of Israeli policy. As the Israeli state persists on a path that largely disregards international reactions, human rights reports, legal proceedings, and calls for a ceasefire, it is not only inflicting irreparable suffering upon the Palestinian people but also creating a heavy historical legacy for its own society and future generations. Every crime committed today, every conscience silenced, and every child’s death ignored will remain an indelible record in the memory of the future.
The solution lies in Israeli society and the international actors supporting it, emerging from this moral blindness as soon as possible. Security can only acquire meaning through the rule of law; peace, through justice; and memory, through the universal conscience. Israel must abandon this policy that drags it into deeper isolation and exclusion, recognize the fundamental rights of Palestinians, comply with international law, and accept accountability.
