Another Genocide of Palestinians

July 21, 2014

By Saeed Qureshi

For how long and how many, the Israeli inexorable war machine, would kill the defenseless Palestinians. The tally of dead by indiscriminate bombing till today is over 500, besides thousands injured and maimed. This is horrendous and the world conscience and even United Nations seems to be sapped of a resolute will and initiative to stop this carnage.

Pathetically the Arab countries mostly family dynasties or military dictators tend to be oblivious of this genocide of a nation that has remained in a state of perpetual intimidation and bondage at the hands of a powerful bully aided by the more powerful stakeholders and allies around the world.

The Middle East itself is engulfed by a hurricane of relentless civil wars either between the divergent sects of Shias and Sunnis or the secular versus the fundamental Islamic outfits. There cannot be a more opportune time for Israel than the present one, for inflicting more miseries on the beleaguered Palestinians.  Shockingly not a scant expression of protest or even sympathy by way of lip service has emanated from such elite countries as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the sheikhdoms dotting the Arab lands.

The Saudi regime deems the Palestinians as liberals, secular and revolutionaries. They would go along with the Jews rather than a nation that is fighting for its existence since 1948 when the United Nations adopted Resolution 181 for the creation of an Arab state along with the state of Israel. While the state of Israel is there ever since, the emergence of the Palestinian state still seems to be a far cry in a global and regional environment when no one dares to support and help the traumatized Palestinians.

During the past two years president Obama tried to resolve this intractable issue but was handicapped due to stiff opposition from the right wing politicians or mute or meek domestic response. In fact in retaliation to President Obama’s earnest  and well- intentioned  initiative  to attend to the Israel- Palestinian perennial conflict, the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu retaliated by showed egregious arrogance, scathing insolence and brazen defiance to the American president.

Of late, President Obama too, has taken a cozy and evasive recourse of reiterating the Israeli stance that Israeli has a right to safeguard her security. If Israeli feels insecure from the uprooted Palestinians despite having a limitless stockpile of the deadliest weapons, a well trained huge army and an impregnable defense system, then we are devoid of even an iota of rationality and sense of justice to accept such a weird logic. The fundamental question is why Israel does not allow the creation of a Palestinian state when the United Nations approved it.

Thus far as a result of this orgy of blood let loose by Israel the civilian toll is 550 dead and numerous wounded. The children and the women who have no political or militant role in this war have died in huge number. This killing spree seems to be not stopping any time soon and we can witness more civilian population perishing in this ghastly conflict. In the hindsight one can also remember the massacre of Palestinians in Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in 1982 when Ariel Sharon was the prime minister of Israel.

If Israel argues that the civilians are being used by Hamas as human shield then should it still be imperative for the Israeli army to kill them. Why should the civilian pay a colossal price for what Israeli perceives Hamas as the culprit?  All the more the Israeli should stop bombing the civilian population if it was being purposely used by Hamas. But where should the civilian population should go and where to hide?

It is incumbent upon the world community to intervene and disengage the two disproportionately unequal belligerents for stopping further bloodshed of the Palestinians. The mysterious and unresolved murder of three Israeli youths should not be made the basis for such a colossal military offensive by Israel. It could have been resolved by mutual consultations and in association with the neutral investigators to find the truth.

The use of military might being used by Israel on such scale as to be used in a traditional war is hugely outrageous and would entail more annihilation of the civil population including the innocent children and women. It could be hoped that the world conscious awakens from a studied and indifferent slumber and someone intervenes to stop this diabolic mayhem.