Geopolitical Briefing: Palestine
11 May 2025
- Israel has approved a full-scale ground occupation of Gaza, deploying tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for renewed offensives.
- Israel’s “aid coordination” plan with the U.S. has been rejected by the UN and aid groups, who warn it is a military instrument rather than a humanitarian channel.
- Yemen’s Ansar Allah launched a missile strike that disrupted Israel’s main airport operations, highlighting regional resistance coordination.
- UK, France, and Saudi Arabia have intensified talks to formally recognize a Palestinian state, with a joint diplomatic initiative expected next month.
- Israel has turned 70% of Gaza into declared “no-go” military zones, effectively erasing civilian space and deepening the genocidal siege.
Israel’s cabinet has approved a comprehensive plan to occupy the entire Gaza Strip, deploying tens of thousands of reservists in a move widely regarded as a prelude to permanent annexation under military cover. This represents a dramatic escalation following the collapse of ceasefire talks, and occurs under the cover of the “hostage release” pretext. The announcement, timed to coincide with high-level diplomatic visits from U.S. officials, demonstrates Israel’s confidence in Western backing despite international legal judgments of genocide. The occupation plan reinforces long-term Israeli aims to depopulate Gaza and incorporate it into a Greater Israel, further entrenching the dispossession of Palestinians and denying them any territorial base for return or self-determination. This move, rather than ending resistance, appears set to galvanize further regional alignment among Muslim actors opposing Israeli expansion.
A U.S.-backed Israeli plan to control and deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza via military corridors was rejected by the UN and numerous humanitarian organizations this week. The plan proposes that aid be funneled through Israeli-controlled channels in a purported effort to prevent “diversion by Hamas,” but aid groups condemned it as an attempt to militarize relief efforts and deflect responsibility for the humanitarian crisis created by Israel itself. The UN emphasized that no meaningful humanitarian solution can be imposed unilaterally by the occupying power. The rejection of this plan underscores international frustration with Israel’s instrumental use of aid as a weapon of war, and reflects growing willingness to resist external manipulation of humanitarian norms in occupied Muslim territories.
In a symbolic blow to Israeli confidence, a ballistic missile launched from Yemen by Ansar Allah (Houthi movement) forced Israel to temporarily shut down operations at Ben Gurion International Airport. The attack marked a direct and successful interference in Israel’s economic and logistical hub, reflecting a new phase of military coordination among resistance movements in the region. Israeli defense systems reportedly failed to intercept the projectile before impact. The disruption highlighted Israel’s vulnerability to asymmetric regional attacks and confirmed the capacity of allied groups beyond Palestine to impose meaningful costs on the Zionist regime, especially as global public opinion turns against it. The attack reflects a deepening strategic posture by the regional Islamic resistance to deter annexation and genocide.
A trilateral diplomatic initiative between the UK, France, and Saudi Arabia to recognize a Palestinian state was reported this week, with a formal proposal anticipated at an international summit in June. While many Palestinians view Western-led “statehood” discussions as distractions from the occupation’s core reality, the coordinated diplomatic push from three significant powers could symbolically challenge Israel’s narrative and erode its claim to exclusive legitimacy. Riyadh’s involvement suggests a strategic recalibration under pressure from the Muslim street, which is overwhelmingly aligned with the Palestinian cause. However, any real shift will be measured by actions that support the dismantling of Israeli occupation—not the entrenchment of a bantustan model. The discussions do signal growing diplomatic discomfort with Israel’s open rejection of international law and genocide charges.
Israel’s ongoing remapping of Gaza has resulted in 70% of the territory being declared as “red zones,” or militarized no-go areas. These zones now encompass most of Gaza’s livable land, including agricultural areas, water wells, hospitals, and UN facilities. This move is functionally a continuation of the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, creating an uninhabitable terrain while asserting future Israeli administrative and security control. Displaced Palestinians are pushed toward a narrow southern corridor that is now chronically overcrowded and suffering from severe shortages. These cartographic operations, unilaterally imposed under military power, constitute an administrative erasure of Gaza as a viable homeland. This act reinforces Israel’s strategic goal of depopulating Gaza permanently, in line with a broader annexation plan. Yet such aggression may also catalyze stronger regional coordination to block this trajectory.
