[Opinion] The Role of Arms Embargo Campaigns in the Information War
[Excerpts]
The armed conflict with Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other terror proxies involves kinetic operations and information war. The information space should not be viewed merely as a distraction, but rather, it must be seen as a critical military front aimed at disrupting Israel’s war strategy and actions.
A key component of the information front is the use of “lawfare” to hamper Israel’s military edge and disrupt allied military cooperation. This takes place in two ways. First, efforts to target Israeli officials and soldiers with harassment and arrest. Second, a coordinated campaign to block arms transfers to Israel. The same actors are involved in both initiatives, though the rest of this piece will focus on the arms embargo.
The campaign to block arms transfers to Israel is taking place at both the international and the domestic level. In some cases, activities are coordinated by hostile states, and in others, they are coordinated by the UN and non-governmental organizations ideologically sympathetic to or actively part of the Iranian axis.
Internationally, UN mechanisms are being instrumentalized. Most notably, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the UN Human Rights Council. Hostile states, UN officials, and NGOs also seek to leverage the proceedings at the International Criminal Court to bolster their activities. These efforts not only target Israel but threaten States and officials allied with Israel.
