A timeless Chinese proverb warns: “The higher the monkey climbs, the more he shows his tail.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, seems to neither heed the lessons of history nor the wisdom of such folk sayings.

International law is fighting for relevance. The outcome of this fight is likely to change the entire world’s political dynamics, which were shaped by the outcome of the Second World War and sustained through the selective interpretation of the law by dominant countries.

Speaking at a conference organized by the Ministry of Defense, the Israeli army’s new chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, last week said 2025 would be “a year of combat.”

The return of 1 million Palestinians from southern Gaza to the north last week felt as if history was choreographing one of the most earth-shattering events in recent memory.

Even those of us who have long emphasized the importance of the Palestinian people’s voice, experience and collective action in Palestinian history have been shocked by the cultural revolution resulting from the Israeli war on Gaza.

A headline on The Times of Israel’s blog section said it all: “For the first time, Israel just lost a war.”