Just a mild appeal from Washington to Israel to “consider the consequences” after the Jewish state began to carry out a “holocaust” in Gaza is reflective of America’s lopsided foreign policy vis-à-vis the Middle East. The chilly warning by a senior Israeli defence official that “gunmen are bringing onto themselves a shoah” mirrored Zionist designs to carry out a Palestinian pogrom in their own land.
It is appalling to note that in response to some improvised Qassams, which rarely hit targets, and which defenceless Palestinians use against Israeli aggressors to let out their anger and frustration, Israel resorted to a horrific blitz and over a hundred innocent lives were snuffed out.
In their mad pursuit of resistance fighters, uniformed Israeli killing machines did not even spare children playing in grounds. If the liquidation of 12 unsuspecting children in four days of state-sponsored terrorism is not a crime against humanity, the US and all other apologists of Tel Aviv need to rewrite its definition. The Israeli murderous zeal , projected by its incessant bombing over civilian areas, will continue as long as it enjoys the unwavering support from the US and the UK in the Security Council.
The Israelis, who never get tired of demonising Palestinian fighters and routinely call them terrorists, need to brush up their history a little. The Jewish state practises the worst form of apartheid. It treats Palestinians as second grade people and does everything possible to demoralise them.
There is a need to remind people what makes the Palestinians take up the arms:
– Non-Jewish Israelis cannot buy or lease land in the Zionist entity.
– Palestinian licence plates in Israel are colour-coded to distinguish Jews from non-Jews.
– Israel allots 85% of the water resources to Jews and the remaining 15% is divided among all Palestinians in the occupied territories.
– Israel routinely confiscates bank accounts, businesses, and land and refuses to pay compensation to confiscation victims.
– Israel is sitting on the former sites of more than 400 Palestinian villages, and Tel Aviv has renamed almost every physical site in the country to cover up the traces.
– Israel once dedicated a postage stamp to a man who attacked a civilian bus and killed several people.
– Four prime ministers of Israel (Begin, Shamir, Rabin, and Sharon) have taken part in either bomb attacks on civilians, massacres of civilians, or forced expulsions of civilians from their villages.
– Palestinian refugees make up the largest portion of the refugee population in the world.
The international community should take notice of this. Moscow, Paris, Beijing and the European Union have to do a lot more than issuing statements “showing concern over the continued violence”. The movers and shakers in the top body must wake up and realise that the Palestinian resistance is not terrorism and that Israel is not innocent. If the status quo continues, the cancer of the Middle East will continue to grow and the whole region will be put on powder keg.
Mahmoud Abbas would have realised now that his hostile attitude towards Ismail Haniya and his team has indirectly resulted in the endless suffering for half of his people in the Gaza Strip. One fine morning he decided that Hamas should not be at the helm and that was followed by an ugly and bloody power struggle between Hamas and Fatah. Who was the beneficiary? Israel! A disunited and divided Palestinian nation suits the Zionists as they can secretly continue building settlements without objections.
The usual Arab silence, barring a customary criticism from GCC and OIC, over the latest Israeli atrocities has only worsened the situation. The time-tested friendship of some Arab capitals with Washington, which religiously vetoes every anti-Israel resolution in the Security Council, should be used to get the hapless Palestinian justice.
And if that does not work, when will oil be used as a weapon?
[The writer can be reached at [email protected]]