‘Never again’ has tragically lost its moral weight

• Relentlessly protesting by the hundreds of thousands, pouring into the streets every day, to force Netanyahu's hand;
• Bringing all the necessary pressure to bear on Amnon Bar-David, the head of the Histadrut, Israel's main labor union, to call for a general strike to paralyze the country;
• Engaging in civil disobedience, especially by army reservists, who should refuse to report to duty. They are the backbone of the military, without whom it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to wage a major offensive. As Yotam Vilk, a reserve captain in the Israeli army, who fought for a year in Gaza, said, "What is at stake is not only lives but also the very idea of Israel itself."

Sanctioning Israel by Western powers

It's time for Western powers, including the EU, especially France and Italy, along with Canada and Australia, to take decisive actions against Israel, other than offering a symbolic, though important, gesture of recognizing a Palestinian state.

There are several practical punitive measures the EU can take:

• Imposing restrictions on imports and exports;Halting any arms sales and military cooperation;
• Reducing the level of diplomatic ties;Limiting visas for Israeli officials; and
• Suspending any new joint and freezing current project agreements, especially in the technology sector.

Although such measures could disrupt many businesses, they can all survive for a few months.

The Arab states must take punitive measures

It is extremely disappointing that the Arab states, in particular those at peace with Israel, namely, Jordan, Egypt, UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco, have yet to take any drastic actions against Israel to express their outrage about the disaster to which the Palestinians have been subjected.

While Egypt has been focused on mediation, the rest have largely settled for summoning their ambassadors from Israel for consultation, issuing statements condemning Israel, and working on diplomatic fronts through the Arab League to put international pressure on Israel.

Although these measures are important, they are far from what the Arab states must do to force Netanyahu to change his evil plans against the Palestinians in Gaza. Some of the critical measures they must take include:

• Recalling their ambassadors until Israel ends the war, and threatening to sever diplomatic relations with Israel if it executes its plans to exile the Palestinians;
• Stopping all trade agreements with Israel;
• Halting the issuance of visas to any Israeli, including officials, wishing to enter the country;
• Ending any security collaboration, even though such a measure could have serious ramifications, especially because of US involvement.

The Israeli public, the EU, and the Arab states are morally obligated to stop Netanyahu's genocidal war before he succeeds in creating irreversible conditions that will seal the Palestinians' fate in Gaza to be exiled or, at best, live under the harshest Israeli military rule. They must all remember that inaction will not only doom the Palestinians in Gaza to a perilous end but also make the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ever more deadly and intractable for decades to come.

"Never Again" will no longer carry any moral weight, and no one will be blamed for future genocides other than those countries that could have prevented the genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza but chose not to, because they, too, have lost their moral way.