TEHRAN – A professor of international politics at Lancaster University says that the recent escalation in Palestine reflects Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to secure his base in power.

“The escalation is a perfect storm of issues, reflecting Netanyahu’s efforts to secure his base after recent elections, but also to capitalize on wider Arab support stemming from the Abraham accords. This has meant that the Palestinian cause is increasingly abandoned,” Simon Mabon tells the Tehran Times.

Palestinian health authorities say the Gaza death toll includes more than 60 children as Israel’s bombardment enters its second week.

Days of heavy bombardment on the Gaza Strip intensified on Tuesday, with Israeli fighter jets bombing several buildings and roads in a vital part of Gaza City.

According to Israeli authorities, the offensive began late on Monday in response to rockets fired by Hamas.

Anger has been growing over the forced expulsion of Palestinian families from the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, who have been facing multiple court cases filed against them by several pro-settler organizations since 1972.

The Israeli aggression met massive anger all around the world, from Britain to streets in Pakistan.

“In the UK, there is widespread anger at the treatment with Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories,” Mabon notes.

 “Yet mainstream media narratives about Sheikh Jarrah have been subsumed into broader questions about terrorism and missiles from Gaza.”  

The escalation is the most intense since the seven-week 2014 Israeli war on Gaza.

Many Arab monarchies who decided to normalize their ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords are now facing questions about their move.

“Many Arab countries are in a difficult position with regard to Israel,” the director of SEPAD (the Sectarianism, Proxies and De-Sectarianization Project) remarks.

“A number have normalized relations with Israel, notably through the signing of the Abraham Accords, which has led to the marginalization of the Palestinian cause in an effort to cultivate better economic, technological and security ties.”

Asked about the U.S. role when it comes to conflicts in West Asia, especially Palestine, Mabon says that “under Biden, it is unclear as to what the U.S. role will be in the Israel Palestine conflict.”

“Biden has thus far been occupied with the Iranian nuclear deal and war in Yemen. His failure to engage with Israel Palestine cannot continue,” according to British academic.