An Outlaw by Any Other Name: The Case for Defining Israel as a Rogue State
The term “Rogue State” is not a neutral descriptor but a potent instrument of U.S. foreign policy. Forged in the post-Cold War era, it provides a moral and strategic rationale for isolating and pressuring nations deemed hostile to American interests. Its application, however, has always been selective, serving as a cudgel for adversaries while shielding allies from scrutiny.
A review of its usage, from Reagan’s “outlaw states” to Anthony Lake’s “backlash states” and Clinton’s defense reviews, reveals a consistent set of criteria: defiance of international law, pursuit of WMDs, sponsorship of terrorism, aggressive expansionism, and severe human rights abuses.
If these criteria are applied objectively, without the filter of geopolitical convenience, a compelling case can be made that the State of Israel not only meets but exemplifies the definition of a "Rogue State."
The Established Definition of a Rogue State
The term evolved not in international courts but in the speeches of U.S. officials and policy papers. Its hallmarks are clear:
- Defiance of International Norms: Systematic violation of UN resolutions and international humanitarian law.
- Pursuit of WMDs: Developing or possessing nuclear weapons outside non-proliferation treaties.
- Sponsorship of Terrorism: Using state power to conduct or support extrajudicial killings and intimidation.
- Aggressive Expansionism: Annexing territory and threatening regional stability through military force.
- Authoritarianism and Human Rights Abuses: Implementing systems of apartheid and committing acts meeting the legal definition of genocide.
Nations like Iran, North Korea, and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq were designated as rogues for meeting a majority of these criteria. The consistency of their application, however, ends where American alliances begin.
Israel: A Case Study in Rogue State Behavior
| Criterion | Application to Israel | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Defiance of International Law | Israel holds the record for the most unheeded UN Security Council resolutions, concerning its occupation and settlements, illegal under international law. It routinely flouts rulings from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), including recent provisional orders to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza. | Over 30 UNSC resolutions; ICJ provisional measures (2024); ICJ advisory opinion on illegal occupation (2024). |
| Pursuit of WMDs | Israel maintains an undeclared nuclear arsenal of an estimated 90-400 warheads. It remains one of the few countries outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), using a policy of “ambiguity,” to avoid accountability, a tactic identical to those used by states like North Korea to skirt global norms. | Reports from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI); U.S. intelligence estimates. |
| Sponsorship of Terrorism | Critics, including prominent intellectuals and human rights organizations, accuse Israel of “state terrorism.” This includes targeted assassinations, often in third countries, airstrikes with high civilian casualty rates deemed disproportionate by experts, and the documented support of settler militias that terrorize Palestinian communities in the West Bank. | Reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch; UN investigations into settler violence. |
| Aggressive Expansionism | Israel is the only modern state actively expanding its territory through illegal settlements. Over 700,000 settlers now reside in occupied land, a project the ICJ has ruled violates the fundamental prohibition on acquiring territory by force. Its regular military incursions into Lebanon and Syria, and its siege of Gaza, demonstrate a pattern of belligerence. | ICJ 2024 ruling; ongoing settlement construction data (B’Tselem, Peace Now). |
| Authoritarianism and Human Rights Abuses | Leading global human rights organizations, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Israel’s own B’Tselem, have published exhaustive reports concluding that Israel imposes a system of apartheid on Palestinians. Furthermore, the ICJ is actively adjudicating a case brought by South Africa alleging Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, with over 40,000 Palestinian deaths estimated as of mid-2025. | Amnesty International’s “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians”; HRW’s “A Threshold Crossed”; South Africa’s ICJ case. |
The Hypocrisy of Exclusion: Why the Label Does Not Stick
The evidence is substantial, yet no U.S. administration has applied the “Rogue State” label to Israel. The reason is not a lack of evidence, but a surplus of political and strategic entanglement.
- Strategic Ally: Israel serves as a massive forward-operating base for U.S. power in the Middle East, a hub for intelligence sharing, and a testing ground for military technology.
- Domestic Politics: Bipartisan political support in the U.S. Congress, influenced by powerful lobbying groups, makes criticism of Israel a third rail in American politics.
- Veto Power: The U.S. has used its UN Security Council veto power almost 50 times to unilaterally shield Israel from consequences, ensuring it remains immune from the very international norms its fellow “rogues” are sanctioned for violating.
This impunity is the ultimate proof of the term’s selectivity. A "Rogue State" is not defined by its actions alone, but by its relationship to power. An adversary that violates international law is an outlaw; an ally that does the same is a “partner” acting in “self-defense.”
Conclusion: The Power to Name
“Rogue State” was always a political weapon, not a legal designation. Its history of inconsistent application reveals an uncomfortable truth: the international system is not governed by impartial rules but by the interests of its most powerful actors.
Israel’s conduct, its illegal nuclear arsenal, its defiance of the World Court, its settlement enterprise, and its actions in Gaza, meets and exceeds the standard used to vilify others. That it has thus far escaped the "Rogue State" label is a masterclass in how geopolitical power can distort reality. Israel is a "Rogue State," perhaps not by name, but certainly by definition, protected not by its innocence, but by its impunity.