US support for Israel deepens regional instability, threatening Arab security
As America doubles down on support for Tel Aviv, Cairo leads calls for accountability and peace
The war in Gaza, now close to completing its second year, has not only exposed the brutality of Israeli military operations but also the depth of American involvement in sustaining them.
While US support for Israel has long been understood in terms of military aid and diplomatic cover, the scale and nature of Washington’s role today raise pressing legal and ethical questions.
Human rights groups warn that the US is no longer merely arming an ally, but is rather actively participating in a conflict marked by widespread war crimes.
From weapons transfers worth billions to intelligence sharing and operational planning, Washington’s fingerprints are increasingly visible on Israel’s campaign in Gaza and beyond, including strikes against Iran.
This evolving reality places the US on a dangerous trajectory: from an enabler of Israeli actions to a potential perpetrator under international law.
Today, the nature and depth of American support to Israel have reached a point that raises serious legal and moral questions that could implicate US officials and even individual service members in potential war crimes.
The same rights organisations have long criticised Washington’s role in the conflict, focusing on the continuous flow of American weapons to Israel.
These arms valued at $39.2 billion in active foreign military sales, along with an additional $4.17 billion in transfers since October 2023, have been repeatedly documented as being used in operations that violate international humanitarian law.
Strikes on civilian areas, hospitals, and journalists in Gaza have fuelled accusations that Washington’s steady supply of arms makes it directly complicit in Israel’s conduct.
Yet, as Human Rights Watch (HRW) has recently underlined that the issue goes beyond weapons.
The US has not concealed its operational co-operation with Israel, which includes intelligence sharing, strategic consultations, and in some cases, direct participation by US military personnel in targeting operations.
In effect, Washington has moved from the role of financier to that of battlefield partner.
According to Omar Shakir, HRW’s director for Israel and Palestine, this kind of involvement “goes beyond complicity.”
If US military personnel provided intelligence or operational support that facilitated unlawful strikes, such as the recent bombing of al-Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, which killed 20 people, including five journalists, then those individuals could bear criminal liability under international law.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) clearly stipulates that aiding, abetting, or otherwise assisting in the commission of war crimes can trigger individual responsibility.
While the US is not party to the ICC, the court has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Gaza, and countries with universal jurisdiction, such as Belgium or Germany, could in theory prosecute the American personnel involved.
The fact that American pilots were not the ones dropping bombs did not absolve Washington from its enabling role. The Gaza conflict now threatens to reopen this debate in a far more explosive context.
Compounding the concern is US support for Israeli strikes beyond Gaza, particularly against Iran.
Washington’s willingness to green-light or actively assist Israeli military operations against Iranian targets suggests a policy that places military confrontation above de-escalation.
This, too, carries serious risks not only of regional destabilisation but also of dragging the US further into a conflict where it could be held accountable for violations of international law.
Yet the likelihood of actual prosecution for US personnel remains remote. The American political climate is firmly supportive of Israel’s war in Gaza, and Washington has in the past threatened the ICC when investigations touched on US conduct in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Germany and other European states with universal jurisdiction have shown little appetite to challenge Washington directly. The result is a climate of impunity that emboldens Israel and shields its ally.
Still, the reputational costs for the US are mounting. As Sarah Yager, HRW’s Washington director, warned, “Not only is the US party to the conflict, but it could be liable for war crimes. The American public is paying for this, and I don’t think they have a sense of what’s being done by their own country”.
For Egypt and the broader Arab world, these developments underscore a troubling reality: Washington’s proclaimed commitment to human rights and international law is undermined by its actions in Gaza. Instead of restraining Israel, the US has doubled down on military, political, and operational support, effectively binding its own fate to that of a war effort widely condemned as disproportionate and indiscriminate.
As the war grinds on, the US is no longer merely Israel’s benefactor. It has become a party to the conflict legally exposed, morally compromised, and increasingly isolated on the global stage.
Mohamed Fahmy is the editor-in-chief of The Egyptian Gazette and Egyptian Mail newspapers
