The Debate

From October 7 to November 1, the voices critical of Israel are growing louder by the day. A case in point is the Americas, after a day when Bolivia became the first nation to sever ties with Tel Aviv, while Chile and Colombia recalled their ambassadors. The Israelis may claim that Tuesday's bombing of the Jabalia refugee camp killed a senior Hamas commander, but was it worth the lives of dozens of civilians including women and children?

We've talked of how passions have run high here in France ever since the Middle East erupted. Every word from politicians gets scrutinised for signs of favouritism. Over in Russia, there's a clear-cut line, with the foreign ministry last week welcoming a Hamas delegation and the Kremlin blaming Israel's Gaza war on US imperialism – a throwback to the days when the Soviets championed the Palestinian cause. But has the messaging been too effective?

Israel's ground invasion is underway in Gaza. It's a move that flies in the face of a UN resolution calling for a ceasefire.

If you thought it was hard getting 27 nations to speak with one voice when it came to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, just follow the wrangling over the EU summit's wording of its call to spare lives in Gaza. It is easy to dismiss the semantic nuances between ceasefire, truce and lull, but it should matter.

With each day that passes, the fury begets more fury. But while intense air strikes on Gaza and a chokehold blockade from Israel continue, while missile attacks from Gaza and Lebanon also continue, there is still no ground offensive. It is reportedly on hold, at Washington's request.

The Middle East fell off their radar. Now comes a steady stream of leaders who have donned their penitent's garb and flown in to show support and push for peace. The latest is Emmanuel Macron. The French president is travelling to both Israel and the West Bank as the war with Gaza stokes bitter rivalries in France, the European nation that's home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim populations.

Israel has been saying for days that it is ready for a full ground offensive in Gaza, but outside of limited incursions, the infantry is on standby. According to The New York Times, the US, through its defence secretary, urged his Israeli counterpart to hold off. This in a bid to secure the release of more hostages, like the pair of Americans freed after negotiations brokered by Qatar.

It's wishful thinking to ask about diplomacy when Israel is about to launch a ground invasion of Gaza and daily rocket exchanges with Lebanon's Hezbollah raise the prospect of a second front. But escalation is madness and the world certainly does not need this cycle of polarisation and radicalisation. Diplomacy is not dead, although it may seem like it's on life support.

It's about fury, humiliation, fear and hate. So soon after the attack that killed hundreds at the al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, neither side wants to hear the other's story. At least two people have been killed in West Bank protests over Tuesday evening's horror, which came on Day 11 of a war sparked by Hamas's shock attack on Israeli civilians. Israel's ground offensive has not even begun. Is there any way to stop this spiral?

It's yet another war on Europe's doorstep. The tensions from Israel-Hamas conflict are felt all the way to Paris, so why is it so hard to get the messaging right? Critics of the European Commission president came down like a ton of bricks on Ursula von der Leyen after a visit to Israel where the former German defence minister left out language on the suffering of Palestinians. She later rectified.