Unity of the Muslim world as a bulwark against aggression
by M.A. Sofi 29 May 2021
After such unspeakable violence involving the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, which has since long been the arena of a highly asymmetric military onslaught from Israel, it was but natural to expect that this one-sided war would end, leaving the Palestinians to lick their wounds and to begin to rebuild their lives and their institutions until the next time, say 4-5 years from now when the Zionist state shall invent yet another ruse to repeat the mayhem and ride roughshod over them as has been witnessed throughout its history since it was brought into existence in 1948.
The question arises as to the role of the so-called Muslim countries in having done their bit to diffuse tensions and bring about the ceasefire to stop the hostilities, at least for now. Whereas the role of some non-Arab Muslim countries in highlighting the Israel-inspired humanitarian disaster in Gaza has been a great factor in de-escalating tensions, it’s the US which, despite being repeatedly rebuffed by Israel to stop the mayhem in Gaza, has somehow found itself being dragooned to work out a ceasefire in the region. Not that its role in ensuring the ceasefire may be seen to mark a change of heart of the Americans towards the Palestinians, but that surely betokens the early signs of the winds of change that are wafting across the world to herald the coming about of new world order.
As always, the Arab world has been a mute spectator, choosing to merely settle for watching the developments in the region from the side-lines, even as they happen to have the clout and the resources to play what could have been a decisive role in thwarting such attacks by the Jewish state against its neighbours. As opposed to that, what is actually on display is the unconscionable indifference of the OIC, or these paper tigers like the UNO, ICJ, UNHRC, AI, etc., having failed themselves and having lost the carte blanche for taking action against the aggressor. These institutions have been reduced to no more than mere acronyms while looking the other way in the face of such a grave humanitarian disaster unfolding in Palestine right now. Given their spinelessness and loss of verve, it’s time that they shut shop in the ‘free-for-all’ world of today where these lawless beasts – this cabal of immoral, unethical, illegal occupiers of the Palestinian land is acting with impunity while reducing to rubble the Gaza strip and its hapless inhabitants living there, and that too without the least provocation from the latter. This illegitimate, rogue child who was conceived in the name of the Zionist state deserves to be condemned and tried for war crimes and crimes against the humanity that it’s committing in the land it had occupied in violation of the norms of civilised behaviour, justice, and international covenants. But for them and for having caused such massive devastation of Palestine in which they are being aided by their enablers worldwide, including the so-called “oldest and the largest” democracies, the world would have been a better place to live.
In its zeal to destroy the state of Palestine out of existence, the Zionists display a curious paradox where the excellence of mind and depravity of the soul are seen to go together. This is because while they have always been at the forefront of achievements in research and development in education, science, and technology and thus shown uncommon intellectual grit and prowess, the depravity of their conduct is manifested in their contempt and paranoia of those who are being faulted for the ‘sin’ of living in their own land and for refusing to be browbeaten by the Zionist juggernaut. Like the innumerable acts of aggression carried out against the Palestinians in the past, the current one is not only a flagrant act of a war crime by the State of Israel. Still, it could also stoke the flames of world war had it not been for a ceasefire that has just been announced. Come to think of it, a continuation of the hostilities between the aggressor and the victim could lead to few powers in the region and elsewhere getting dragged into the fray and being pitted against the evil axis comprising Israel and its fawning cohorts comprising America, NATO countries and their allies.
In the lines that follow, it is not intended to go into the history and the genesis of the Israeli-Palestine conflict that has been playing itself out over the past close to eighty years, but to draw attention to the brazenness and utter contempt for civilised, responsible behaviour by Israel in dealing with its bête noire – the Palestinians, and getting away with what has been a unilateral putsch against the latter who have been on the receiving end of a long and sustained regime of unspeakable, gut-wrenching violence ever since Israel usurped their land to set up the illegitimate state of Israel there. Here, the main idea is to point out how, despite its conduct that would have attracted any other country the epithet of a pariah state as a result of such blatant transgression of peace and Human Rights, Israel continues to get away with all of that and even manages itself being perceived as a victim, rather than as the chief culprit, the agent provocateur in the on-going conflict.
History informs us that the state of Israel was conceived and brought to fruition on the strength of utter falsehood surrounding questionable references in Torah that the land they had forcibly usurped from the Palestinians in 1948 was ordained by God as being a bequest from their ancestors to them and hence to be retrieved and reclaimed against all odds as their lost land where their ancestors had lived about 3500 years ago. Backed by some of the most powerful nations, their invincible faith in using deceit and stratagem to force their will all through their history has led the Jews on the path of confrontation with their neighbours instead of settling for peace with them. After forcibly evicting the Palestinians from 80% of their land in 1948 and condemning most of them to migrate as refugees elsewhere while forcing others to live in ghettos in the remaining 20% of the Palestinian land –which has since been shrunk to a measly 6% after the 1967 war – they could have, but didn’t wish to agree to the next best solution in the shape of a two-state solution to the problem and thus to have allowed themselves to live peacefully alongside the Palestinians. True to its credo, Israel has shown time and again that it has no use for peace as an option in sorting out issues with the Palestinians and its neighbours. This even though the two-state solution is also supported by most Muslim countries, including the OIC, whereas Hamas subordinates its recognition of the two-state solution, and with good reason, to the condition that Israel withdraws from the territory that it had illegally occupied in 1967. However, for all we know, Israel is unwilling to relent and to vacate the occupied land that it ideally should, in the interests of peace, stability, and mutual co-existence in the region. In line with its thinking, Israel does not recognize Palestine and, in a sheer display of hubris, has the cheek to call for a one-state solution. It entails that Palestinians leave their home and hearth to settle for a subhuman life as refugees in other parts of the world.
In the midst of this intransigence by the state of Israel, where peace has not been among its desired goals, how does peaceful co-existence with its neighbours stand a chance to prevail in the region? In their new avatar as a “modern” nation-state, its resort to violence as a tool to settle scores shall remain the greatest threat and a stumbling block to peace. This because they remain smug in the belief that mighty America and her allies would come to its rescue – as they always do – in its nefarious designs to force its will in the region to the neglect of the international opprobrium that such unilateral and despicable acts would have normally attracted in the process. For that reason, a large chunk of the Israeli population deserves to be pinned down for having voted to power some of those who had a track record of engaging in terror activities but who went on to become the most powerful politicians as prime ministers of that country. Amongst others, those include Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon who had together slaughtered more than 2200 Palestinians during clandestine operations against the latter, including many more of them having been butchered during many acts of aggression by the incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his predecessors.
How should the international community react to rein in the rogue state in the latter’s thirst for blood in the pursuit of its political objectives? Of course very strongly, if it had willed but won’t as one knows too well! However, the Muslim world could and must act in ways that could alter the balance of power in the region. To that end, all they need is to unite against an evil power that exploits and fetes itself on the disunity that defines the Muslim world of today, which would soon meet the same fate as that of the Palestinians, should they allow their short terms interests to take precedence over the larger goal of securing their existence against the greatest enemy of peace. The Muslim world can’t afford the luxury of looking the other way. Still, it would do well to take note of the ugly reality staring into their eyes that Israel’s political and legal system is fundamentally designed to be unequal that omits the formal principle of equality before the law and that, contrary to upholding the principles of law and justice, Israel’s courts sanctify the colonisation of the Palestinian land and exclusion of the Palestinians from basic rights. For starters, the recent offers of détente by some Arab countries with Israel may be seen as part of ensuring peace and tranquillity in the region. But that hides the uncomfortable truth that doing so at the cost of the rights of the Palestinians would not only amount to a betrayal of their cause for reclaiming their own land as their homeland but also has the potential to engender more bloodshed and violence in the region as and when the big bullies in the region may choose to. Apart from the fundamental duty of investing in education, research and development as a top national priority in the Muslim world to matter and be counted, what needs to be done to fight and rein in the big bullies from unleashing terror in the region would be for them to close ranks with each other and to forge unity as the only bulwark against aggression. The sooner they realise it and stand up in solidarity with the Palestinians and with each other, the better. Else, it would be too late!