Today, the Middle East has become a hotbed of conflicts. It has become a scene of human massacres. Actions taken here only lead to dangerous outcomes, as these acts are based on illogical and even contradictory arguments. Despite all of this, it seems that the world and the entire region are living in a state of denial about the situation.
Until last summer, the prevailing Israeli discourse indicated that the Palestinian issue no longer constituted any significant importance, and that it was no longer a pressing issue in the Arab-Israeli formation. Therefore, there was no need to pay to it any attention at the regional and international levels.
The US opposes the forced displacement of Palestinians and any reduction of the territory of Gaza for Israeli security purposes. It also affirms its support for the two-state solution. But at the same time, it condones Israeli transgressions on these issues. We see it remaining silent when Israel publicly rejected (Joe) Biden’s suggestion that it should consider some form of the two-state option. This is even after his vague statements in which he implied that the Palestinian state may not in fact be fully sovereign.
The Middle East tensions and their implications extend to Europe, which in the past took a constructive and compromise stance. However, traditional European leaders, such as France, have shown controversial positions. Germany is, unreasonably, condoning mass killings. Britain is still struggling with the consequences of its exit from the European Union and uncertain possibilities in the Atlantic region. At the same time, some European countries rely on irresponsible popular positions. In the midst of all this, there is a glimmer of hope in countries such as: Norway, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, and perhaps one or two other countries who have taken clear and principled positions despite the huge pressure around them.
Israel’s relationship with its immediate neighbours, Egypt and Jordan, has deteriorated due to border security and displacement issues. Moreover, there are additional tensions in the region resulting from violent and cross-border activities in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and the Red Sea region. These tensions pose further threats to the security of the entire region. Despite the large Western military deployment in the waterways of the Middle East region, which is aimed at deterring any new parties from entering the conflict, it is a move that proved ineffective and even made these Western military powers themselves additional targets for the conflict.
The conflict in Gaza has diverted attention from addressing chronic issues in the Middle East, including the turbulent situations in Libya, Sudan, and Yemen, in addition to the policies of some regional parties, which further exacerbates tensions in the region. These tensions extend from the scene of events in north-central Africa, specifically Libya, east to Sudan, and even descend south to the Red Sea, and then also flow through the Arab-Israeli theatre to the Levant, Lebanon and Syria. The common denominator in all these tensions is an insatiable thirst for power and dominance.
It’s time for the international community to speak the truth to the dominant powers, take action to ensure that aggressors are held accountable, and acknowledge that the Middle East is currently embroiled in multiple dangerous conflicts, which pose a major threat to regional and global peace and security.
[by Nabil Fahmy in Al-Masry Al-Youm]
Compiled and translated by Faizul Haque