Israel’s
Zionist ideology, grounded in a
doctrine of Jewish racial superiority and the dehumanization of
Palestinians, is the foundation of its terrorist actions.
By Fareed Khan
A version of this article can also be found on Substack.
On September 9, 2025, Israel launched a
brazen airstrike on Doha, Qatar, targeting senior Hamas leaders, an act that not only
violated international law and the territorial sovereignty of Qatar, but also
exemplified Israel’s persistent pattern of acting as a rogue, terrorist state. The
attack struck a residential complex hosting Hamas negotiators discussing a US-proposed
ceasefire for Gaza, killing six individuals, including a Qatari security
official, and drawing widespread condemnation from Qatar, the UN, and dozens of other nations, including
Canada.
This incident, coupled with Israel’s
decades-long history of violating multiple UN resolutions, and committing crimes against humanity, war
crimes, and more recently genocide in Gaza, underscores the urgent need for
Canada and other allied governments to designate Israel and its military as a
terrorist state and organization. Such a designation is justified by the definition of terrorism,
which in its broadest sense is “the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims."
Israel’s actions, enabled by unwavering US support, epitomize this definition
for its entire existence, rendering it a pariah state that flouts international
norms with impunity.
A history of terror and impunity
Israel’s founding in 1948 on stolen Palestinian land set the stage for its criminal trajectory. The Nakba, in 1947–1948, marked the beginning of Israel’s history of criminal actions. Zionist, terrorist militias, such as Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi, orchestrated violent campaigns, ethnically cleansing over 750,000 Palestinians and destroying hundreds of Palestinian villages. Leaders like Menachem Begin, implicated in the 1946 King David Hotel bombing that killed 91 people and the Deir Yassin massacre where over 100 Palestinian civilians (including babies) were slaughtered, and Yitzhak Shamir, who endorsed assassinations, later became Israeli prime ministers. Their actions, which constituted war crimes and crimes against humanity, embedded a legacy of criminal violence into Israel’s political fabric, and established a pattern of disregard for international law, a pattern reinforced by Israel’s failure to honour UN Resolution 194, which guaranteed Palestinian refugees’ right to return or compensation for their losses.
The Absentee Property Law, passed by Israel's Knesset in 1950, and the destruction of over 400 Palestinian villages by 1952 further entrenched the concept of ethnic cleansing in Israeli politics, defying Israel’s UN obligations. Since then, Israel’s violations have only escalated. Its apartheid system, documented by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israeli organizations like B’Tselem, subjects Palestinians to systemic discrimination and brutal military rule, while illegal Jewish settlers enjoy civilian protections. Settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem violates the Geneva and Hague Conventions’ prohibition on land appropriation in occupied territories. Israel’s repeated military assaults on Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria flout the UN Charter’s ban on the use of force, with over 40 UN Security Council resolutions condemning Israel ignored, often shielded by US vetoes.
The ongoing Gaza campaign, labelled genocidal by UN experts and scholars like Raz Segal, Amos Goldberg, and Omer Bartov, has killed over 71,000 Palestinians since October 2023, mostly civilians, and systematically destroyed healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Furthermore, Israel’s deliberate weaponization of food and aid, causing famine, violates the 1948 Genocide Convention and defies International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders to prevent genocide. The Doha attack, targeting Hamas negotiators during ceasefire talks, further illustrates Israel’s contempt for seeking a peaceful settlement with Hamas, by attacking a US ally’s capital.
The Doha attack is an act of state terrorism
The Qatari prime minister declared the Israeli attack as an act of state terrorism. Beyond violating Qatar’s sovereignty, the attack targeted an area where there were many civilians, and resulted in the death of a Qatari security officer alongside Hamas officials. This reckless disregard for innocent lives aligns with Israel’s pattern of using military force to attack targets despite the presence of innocents, and the likelihood of civilian casualties.
Similar Israeli violence is evident in acts of collective punishment of Palestinians (crimes under international law) that have been repeated for decades with impunity, as seen in the Gaza genocide, and Israeli actions in the West Bank. Furthermore, Israeli officials’ open admission of responsibility, claiming the right to strike anywhere, reflects a belief in their immunity from international law, a stance emboldened by unwavering US support.
Experts have commented that the intent of the attack was to disrupt ceasefire negotiations, prioritizing military and political objectives, rather than the lives of Israeli hostages, and nearby civilians over peace. As Josh Paul, a former US State Department official, noted, targeting negotiators during ceasefire talks demonstrates bad faith and undermines diplomatic efforts. This act of terrorist intimidation, conducted in a neutral country hosting US-backed talks, seeking to create peace, not only violated international norms but also destabilized regional security, and risked escalation with Qatar and other Gulf states. Such actions fit the definition of
Further legitimacy was given to the genocide declaration when the International Association of Genocide Scholars, declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and that Israel's conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the Genocide Convention. Among many other elements, the organization notes that 50,000 children have been killed or injured by Israel, as highlighted by UN aid organization UNICEF, which impacts the ability of Palestinians in Gaza to survive as a group and regenerate.
US complicity: Enabling a terrorist state
It should be noted that Israel’s ability to perpetrate these acts completely hinges on US backing. Since 1948, the US has provided over $150 billion in military aid, including weapons and munitions used in Gaza, as well as in the Doha attack. This support, coupled with diplomatic cover through America’s UN vetoes, has shielded Israel from accountability since its inception.
As the attack was underway the US military stationed in Qatar was advised and passed the information on to the US Embassy in Doha, which then issued a shelter-in-place order after the attack had already occurred. And yet despite this assault on the territory of an American ally there was no condemnation by the Trump administration. Were it not for US supplied weapons, funding, and political protection, Israel’s capacity to sustain its occupation, apartheid, and terrorist acts would have been severely curtailed, and its history of crimes in violation of international law would likely not have occurred.
Additionally, the biased portrayal of Palestinian resistance by Western news media as “terrorism” while portraying Israel's criminal acts as "self defence" has further enabled Western complicity in Israeli crimes. This depiction ignores Palestinians' history of dispossession, oppression and occupation under Israel, while amplifying anti-Palestinian racist and Islamophobic narratives. This bias has allowed the US and allies like the UK, France, and Germany to justify arming Israel while dismissing the suffering of Palestinians. This selective enforcement of international law by the US and its allies—condemning adversaries like Russia and China but excusing Israel—undermines the international legal order, and exposes a system where geopolitical interests trump justice and human rights, and enables the misery and suffering of an oppressed people.
The case for Canada and its allies to act
Canada and other nations that have historically supported Israel must finally admit that it is a rogue terrorist state, and its military is a terrorist organization. The Doha attack, alongside Israel’s documented history of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, genocide and attacks against neighbouring nations, meets the terrorism definition. Canada, as a signatory to the Genocide Convention, supporter of the UN, and a proponent of international law, has a legal and moral obligation to treat take action against Israel for its crimes they it has against Russia. Designating Israel’s military as a terrorist organization would align Canada with its commitments to prevent and punish genocide and war crimes, and put it in the same company as a majority of countries which see Israel for the terrorist rogue state it is.
Such a designation would involve halting military and diplomatic support, imposing broad sanctions, similar to those placed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, and supporting ICC and ICJ prosecutions of Israeli leaders’ crimes. Failing to take such action would implicate Canada’s in Israel’s violations of international laws and conventions. Other Canadian allies, like Belgium, Spain, Norway, Turkiye and Ireland, along with most nations in the global south, are increasingly condemning Israel, with growing calls for accountability reflected in global protests and boycott movements. It is long past time for Canada to stand on the right side of history by joining the majority of international voices calling out Israel’s criminality.
Israel’s Zionist ideology, grounded in a doctrine of Jewish racial superiority and the dehumanization of Palestinians, is the foundation of its terrorist actions, in the same manner as white supremacy and Nazism. Dismantling this fascist infrastructure requires ending Western complicity in Israeli crimes, and taking action to restructure Israeli society as was done with Nazi Germany and imperial Japan after World War Two. If Canada is truly the supporter of international law as it claims to be it and its international partners should take the lead by declaring Israel a terrorist regime, withdrawing all backing, and championing a fair, democratic society on the lands of historic Palestine for both Jews and Palestinians, where equality prevails for everyone, irrespective of ethnic or religious background.
History will judge if the world fails to act
Israel’s attack on Doha aimed at Hamas leaders stands as the latest manifestation of Israel’s lawless, terrorist conduct. Its legacy of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, apartheid, crimes against humanity, as well as genocidal acts in Gaza—enabled and sustained through American patronage—compels Canada and fellow self-proclaimed guardians of the “international rule of law” to classify Israel and its armed forces as terrorist entities. Inaction only prolongs a moral and legal failure of global proportions, permitting a nation that believes that it is above the law, to continue committing crimes with impunity.
History will condemn Israel and its accomplices with the same severity it reserved for Western powers that stood idle as Nazi Germany ignited the Holocaust, and ignored the plight of Jewish refugees. Without prompt measures to enforce justice and international law the world risks witnessing a Palestinian holocaust mirroring the Jewish one in Europe. However, this time, the excuse of ignorance won’t hold. Rather it will simply reveal the callous indifference and racism of those Western nations that claim to be defenders of international law, but only when it favours their own political interests.
A history of terror and impunity
Israel’s founding in 1948 on stolen Palestinian land set the stage for its criminal trajectory. The Nakba, in 1947–1948, marked the beginning of Israel’s history of criminal actions. Zionist, terrorist militias, such as Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi, orchestrated violent campaigns, ethnically cleansing over 750,000 Palestinians and destroying hundreds of Palestinian villages. Leaders like Menachem Begin, implicated in the 1946 King David Hotel bombing that killed 91 people and the Deir Yassin massacre where over 100 Palestinian civilians (including babies) were slaughtered, and Yitzhak Shamir, who endorsed assassinations, later became Israeli prime ministers. Their actions, which constituted war crimes and crimes against humanity, embedded a legacy of criminal violence into Israel’s political fabric, and established a pattern of disregard for international law, a pattern reinforced by Israel’s failure to honour UN Resolution 194, which guaranteed Palestinian refugees’ right to return or compensation for their losses.
The Absentee Property Law, passed by Israel's Knesset in 1950, and the destruction of over 400 Palestinian villages by 1952 further entrenched the concept of ethnic cleansing in Israeli politics, defying Israel’s UN obligations. Since then, Israel’s violations have only escalated. Its apartheid system, documented by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israeli organizations like B’Tselem, subjects Palestinians to systemic discrimination and brutal military rule, while illegal Jewish settlers enjoy civilian protections. Settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem violates the Geneva and Hague Conventions’ prohibition on land appropriation in occupied territories. Israel’s repeated military assaults on Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria flout the UN Charter’s ban on the use of force, with over 40 UN Security Council resolutions condemning Israel ignored, often shielded by US vetoes.
The ongoing Gaza campaign, labelled genocidal by UN experts and scholars like Raz Segal, Amos Goldberg, and Omer Bartov, has killed over 71,000 Palestinians since October 2023, mostly civilians, and systematically destroyed healthcare, education, and infrastructure. Furthermore, Israel’s deliberate weaponization of food and aid, causing famine, violates the 1948 Genocide Convention and defies International Court of Justice (ICJ) orders to prevent genocide. The Doha attack, targeting Hamas negotiators during ceasefire talks, further illustrates Israel’s contempt for seeking a peaceful settlement with Hamas, by attacking a US ally’s capital.
The Doha attack is an act of state terrorism
The Qatari prime minister declared the Israeli attack as an act of state terrorism. Beyond violating Qatar’s sovereignty, the attack targeted an area where there were many civilians, and resulted in the death of a Qatari security officer alongside Hamas officials. This reckless disregard for innocent lives aligns with Israel’s pattern of using military force to attack targets despite the presence of innocents, and the likelihood of civilian casualties.
Similar Israeli violence is evident in acts of collective punishment of Palestinians (crimes under international law) that have been repeated for decades with impunity, as seen in the Gaza genocide, and Israeli actions in the West Bank. Furthermore, Israeli officials’ open admission of responsibility, claiming the right to strike anywhere, reflects a belief in their immunity from international law, a stance emboldened by unwavering US support.
Experts have commented that the intent of the attack was to disrupt ceasefire negotiations, prioritizing military and political objectives, rather than the lives of Israeli hostages, and nearby civilians over peace. As Josh Paul, a former US State Department official, noted, targeting negotiators during ceasefire talks demonstrates bad faith and undermines diplomatic efforts. This act of terrorist intimidation, conducted in a neutral country hosting US-backed talks, seeking to create peace, not only violated international norms but also destabilized regional security, and risked escalation with Qatar and other Gulf states. Such actions fit the definition of
terrorism—using violence to coerce
and disrupt for political gain.
Israel’s genocidal intent and actions
Israel’s leaders have openly expressed genocidal
intent, reinforcing the terrorist designation. Statements from political
and religious figures advocating for the ethnic cleansing and annihilation of
Palestinians are well-documented. For instance, Israeli officials have called
for Gaza’s complete destruction and the displacement of its population to other nations, with
some religious leaders labelling Palestinians as “human
animals”, and obstacles to a purely Jewish state. This view is supported by a poll
published in the Israel newspaper Ha'aretz in May which showed that 82% off
Israel Jews want Gaza ethnically cleansed, while 47% want every Palestinian
man, woman and child in the enclave killed.
These statements, coupled with Israel's systematic destruction and
starvation policies in Gaza, align with the Genocide Convention’s criteria for
intent to destroy a group in whole or part, and give further credence to applying the "terrorist" label to Israel.Israel’s genocidal intent and actions
Further legitimacy was given to the genocide declaration when the International Association of Genocide Scholars, declared that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and that Israel's conduct meets the legal definition as laid out in the Genocide Convention. Among many other elements, the organization notes that 50,000 children have been killed or injured by Israel, as highlighted by UN aid organization UNICEF, which impacts the ability of Palestinians in Gaza to survive as a group and regenerate.
US complicity: Enabling a terrorist state
It should be noted that Israel’s ability to perpetrate these acts completely hinges on US backing. Since 1948, the US has provided over $150 billion in military aid, including weapons and munitions used in Gaza, as well as in the Doha attack. This support, coupled with diplomatic cover through America’s UN vetoes, has shielded Israel from accountability since its inception.
As the attack was underway the US military stationed in Qatar was advised and passed the information on to the US Embassy in Doha, which then issued a shelter-in-place order after the attack had already occurred. And yet despite this assault on the territory of an American ally there was no condemnation by the Trump administration. Were it not for US supplied weapons, funding, and political protection, Israel’s capacity to sustain its occupation, apartheid, and terrorist acts would have been severely curtailed, and its history of crimes in violation of international law would likely not have occurred.
Additionally, the biased portrayal of Palestinian resistance by Western news media as “terrorism” while portraying Israel's criminal acts as "self defence" has further enabled Western complicity in Israeli crimes. This depiction ignores Palestinians' history of dispossession, oppression and occupation under Israel, while amplifying anti-Palestinian racist and Islamophobic narratives. This bias has allowed the US and allies like the UK, France, and Germany to justify arming Israel while dismissing the suffering of Palestinians. This selective enforcement of international law by the US and its allies—condemning adversaries like Russia and China but excusing Israel—undermines the international legal order, and exposes a system where geopolitical interests trump justice and human rights, and enables the misery and suffering of an oppressed people.
The case for Canada and its allies to act
Canada and other nations that have historically supported Israel must finally admit that it is a rogue terrorist state, and its military is a terrorist organization. The Doha attack, alongside Israel’s documented history of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, genocide and attacks against neighbouring nations, meets the terrorism definition. Canada, as a signatory to the Genocide Convention, supporter of the UN, and a proponent of international law, has a legal and moral obligation to treat take action against Israel for its crimes they it has against Russia. Designating Israel’s military as a terrorist organization would align Canada with its commitments to prevent and punish genocide and war crimes, and put it in the same company as a majority of countries which see Israel for the terrorist rogue state it is.
Such a designation would involve halting military and diplomatic support, imposing broad sanctions, similar to those placed on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine, and supporting ICC and ICJ prosecutions of Israeli leaders’ crimes. Failing to take such action would implicate Canada’s in Israel’s violations of international laws and conventions. Other Canadian allies, like Belgium, Spain, Norway, Turkiye and Ireland, along with most nations in the global south, are increasingly condemning Israel, with growing calls for accountability reflected in global protests and boycott movements. It is long past time for Canada to stand on the right side of history by joining the majority of international voices calling out Israel’s criminality.
Israel’s Zionist ideology, grounded in a doctrine of Jewish racial superiority and the dehumanization of Palestinians, is the foundation of its terrorist actions, in the same manner as white supremacy and Nazism. Dismantling this fascist infrastructure requires ending Western complicity in Israeli crimes, and taking action to restructure Israeli society as was done with Nazi Germany and imperial Japan after World War Two. If Canada is truly the supporter of international law as it claims to be it and its international partners should take the lead by declaring Israel a terrorist regime, withdrawing all backing, and championing a fair, democratic society on the lands of historic Palestine for both Jews and Palestinians, where equality prevails for everyone, irrespective of ethnic or religious background.
History will judge if the world fails to act
Israel’s attack on Doha aimed at Hamas leaders stands as the latest manifestation of Israel’s lawless, terrorist conduct. Its legacy of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, apartheid, crimes against humanity, as well as genocidal acts in Gaza—enabled and sustained through American patronage—compels Canada and fellow self-proclaimed guardians of the “international rule of law” to classify Israel and its armed forces as terrorist entities. Inaction only prolongs a moral and legal failure of global proportions, permitting a nation that believes that it is above the law, to continue committing crimes with impunity.
History will condemn Israel and its accomplices with the same severity it reserved for Western powers that stood idle as Nazi Germany ignited the Holocaust, and ignored the plight of Jewish refugees. Without prompt measures to enforce justice and international law the world risks witnessing a Palestinian holocaust mirroring the Jewish one in Europe. However, this time, the excuse of ignorance won’t hold. Rather it will simply reveal the callous indifference and racism of those Western nations that claim to be defenders of international law, but only when it favours their own political interests.
© 2025 The View From Here. © 2025 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.
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