After the surprise attack carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023, the West under the leadership of the US rallied in support of Israel and its right to self-defense as enshrined under article 51 of the UN Charter. The attack was significant. It is the first invasion of Israeli territory since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war.
What followed was a horrific and bloody vengeance by Israel carrying out a wholesale massacre and genocide of people of Gaza. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, the death toll has surpassed 36,400 with the majority of them being children and women.
West Asia and the “changed” reality
Before October 7, a facade of normalcy in the middle east was being shown to the world. The tone set by Abraham Accords, talks of normalization of Arab-Israel ties, and the dream of lasting and sustainable peace in the region was being taken for granted.
The October 7 attack exposed the hoax of the invincibility of Israel. Its state-of-the-art defense system, powerful intelligence machinery, and ruthless state apparatus was caught off guard in the face of Hamas strike. Moreover, it had a psychological impact on the people of Israel, griping them with a sense of insecurity and inability of the government to keep them safe.
It also brought back the question of Palestine in the center of world affairs and gave it a fresh lease of life. From Columbia to JNU, universities across the world are protesting in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Overlooking the Context
The Israeli propaganda machine has ensured that the focus remains on Hamas and its criticism. However, any objective assessment of Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza cannot overlook the historical context.
For many decades, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has caused immense suffering. It began in 1948 during the Arab-Israeli War, when Israel was established. Since then, there have been casualties on both sides, with around 15,000 Palestinians losing their lives. Additionally, about 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes due to Israeli actions. The conflict involves issues like settlements, human rights violations, and allegations of apartheid policies by Israel.
Finding a peaceful resolution remains a challenge. However, the rest of the world too abdicated its responsibility towards them. It is our collective failure to not address the question of Palestine which is responsible for the sorry state of affairs today. Even after witnessing the mass atrocities committed in the name of self-defense, the response from the international community is too little, and definitely too late.
Discourse, Dehumanization, and Devastation
I contest the use of the word ‘war’ for what is a humanitarian crisis orchestrated ruthlessly by Israel. The traditional understanding of war is of a violent conflict between two parties. In this case, there is no warring party except Israel and the entire focus has been on systematically exterminating the civilians.
Even the rules of war as per the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) have been blatantly flouted. The Israeli and American discourse of war is nothing but a euphemism for ‘Collective Punishment’ which is outlawed by international law. There is complete disregard for the principle of immunity of non-combatants, with civilians deliberately being targeted and killed.
Equally alarming is the dehumanization of Palestinians. The Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant dubbed Palestinians as “Human Animals”. He called for a complete siege of Gaza, cutting them off from even basic necessities such as electricity, food and water.
Some even suggested dropping nuclear bombs to finish them off.
This systematic dehumanization creates apathy towards the sufferings of Palestinians. After all, who cares if the barbaric animals are being killed?
It is the tragedy of our time that the loss of human lives is being reduced to sheer numbers. The impact of what is happening in Gaza is going to stay for generations to come. The harrowing sight of dead bodies of children, wrapped with blood-soaked shrouds, disfigured, maimed, and malnourished, is going to haunt humanity forever.
Resistance is not terrorism
States have repeatedly made the mistake of confusing resistance with terrorism. If Hamas did not have the support of Palestinians, Israel would have already achieved its war objectives. Response to the actions of Hamas by Israel was mainly militaristic. After almost eight months, it is far from achieving any of those aims.
If the international community is serious about resolving the present conflict, it has to focus on the foundational question of the right of Palestinians to have an independent state. Any efforts without due consideration to the agency of Palestinians to decide their future is going to be a sham. The need of the hour is to make concerted efforts to stop Israel from carrying out the bloodbath in Gaza and look forward for a solution acceptable to the people of Palestine on their terms as humans, not animals.