Benjamin Netahyahu echoes George W Bush's 'Axis of Evil' while he taunts Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas

Since the surprise horrific Hamas weekend attack on Israel on October 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been actively engaged in war room operations along with a bit of public name-calling when referring to Hamas and its allies.

"The new Nazis," he called Hamas and urged global unity to combat the terrorist organisation, comparing it to the defeat of the Nazis during World War II.

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Similarly, while on the quest for support in the 'civilised world,' to fight Hamas, he compared the Palestinean/Gazan terror outfit with ISIS as well.

This strong language is part of a broader and older discourse surrounding the so-called 'Axis of Resistance,' a grouping that Netanyahu loosely referred to as the 'Axis of Evil.'

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The Axis of Resistance defined

• The concept of the "Axis of Resistance" denotes a loose and non-formalised coalition that shares a common ideological stance marked by anti-Western, anti-Israeli, and anti-Saudi sentiments.
• Rather than a traditional alliance, it represents a convergence of these ideologies on common ground.

• Speaking of members, it comprises several key players, including Iran at the centre, various militant groups in Palestine like Hamas, the Syrian government, and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
• Additionally, pro-Syrian Ba'athist militias, Iraqi Shia militias aligned with the Iraqi government-sanctioned Popular Mobilisation Forces, and the Yemeni Houthi rebels are also considered part of this alliance.
• Russia and China, due to their anti-Western stance and positive relations with Iran and Syria, off-late, have been associated with the Axis, though they maintain other diplomatic relationships as well.

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Origin

• The term 'Axis of Resistance' gained prominence after former US President George W Bush's 'Axis of Evil' statement, in which he referred to Iran, Iraq, and North Korea, considering they were regarded as threats by the US, at that time.
• The Axis of Resistance concept emerged later, in 2002 as a way to unite parties opposed to US hegemony, presence and Western activities in West Asia.

• It was when a Lybian newspaper called it the 'axis of resistance'.
• Over time, as global dynamics and alignments shifted, it became a coalition with common objectives, like opposition to pro-Western forces, Israel, Arab-Gulf states and Sunni militancy.

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Impact

• The Axis of Resistance has had a significant impact on the West Asian strategic balance as it played a crucial role in supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.
• While the alliance's members may have varying ideologies, they all want to keep the Assad regime intact to ensure a flow of resources from Iran and to keep the Sunnis in Syria at bay.

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Netahyahu's "axis of evil"

• In the present context, Israeli PM Netanyahu attributed the hostilities against Israel to the "axis of evil of Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas," whose "open goal is to eradicate the state of Israel."
• Referring to the "Axis" he also meant to gather help from the 'like-minded-western countries' to stand by Israel and aid its retaliation to the Hamas attack, which he thinks was Israel's 9/11 moment.

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