In a chapter that stains the pages of world history, the Israeli military’s relentless airstrikes on Gaza have resulted in the tragic loss of nearly 6,000 lives, with a disproportionate number being women and children. From striking residential areas to targeting hospitals, the egregious violations of international humanitarian law and ethical standards by Israel have created a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented proportions.
Disturbingly, data from the ground indicates that the explosive force unleashed on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 is comparable to the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The densely populated region of 364 square kilometers, which is home to 2.3 million people, has withstood the worst of this violence, with an average of 33 tons of explosives dropped per square kilometer.
What adds a layer of complexity to this dire situation is the unwavering political and military support extended to Israel by the seemingly most democratic and powerful nations of the West. While some diplomatic efforts from leaders in countries like Türkiye, Qatar and Egypt aim to provide humanitarian ease to civilians, the Western world appears largely unmoved by the harrowing imagery emerging from Gaza, where children are tragically reduced to pieces.
The pressing question looms: When will the West draw a line in supporting Israel’s assault on Palestinian children? Will the collective consciousness of these nations spur them to translate their condemnatory words into decisive action, perhaps advocating for a ceasefire? The uncertainty is palpable despite shifts in rhetoric, such as Biden’s evolving focus from solely Israel to acknowledging the lives lost among the Palestinians.
In a recent message sent on his X account, a social platform formerly known as Twitter, U.S. President Joe Biden affirmed the commitment of the United States to the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination, emphasizing that the actions of Hamas terrorists don’t negate these rights. However, a reminder is due to Mr. Biden that the Palestinians’ right to dignity predates this moment, rooted in decades of Israeli occupation, violence, forced displacement and dispossession.
The recurring mention of a two-state solution by Mr. Biden raises eyebrows, as it seems to remain a mere platitude rather than a catalyst for tangible action. While acknowledging Israel’s “right to exist” stands firm in U.S. foreign policy, the reciprocal recognition of the right to exist for a Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital and based on 1967 borders, appears elusive.
Former President Barack Obama, in a recent Medium blog post, articulated the need to acknowledge the right to life for Palestinians in their ancestral lands. He highlighted the prolonged displacement and the challenges faced by Palestinian leaders striving for a two-state solution.
“It means acknowledging that Palestinians have also lived in disputed territories for generations; that many of them were not only displaced when Israel was formed but continue to be forcibly displaced by a settler movement that too often has received tacit or explicit support from the Israeli government; that Palestinian leaders who’ve been willing to make concessions for a two-state solution have too often had little to show for their efforts; and that it is possible for people of goodwill to champion Palestinian rights and oppose certain Israeli government policies in the West Bank and Gaza without being anti-Semitic,” said Obama.
The uncertainty surrounding the actual support for a two-state solution from the U.S. and other Western countries contrasts starkly with Israel’s actions in Gaza. U.N. Chief Antonio Guterres, in a notable remark, emphasized that attacks by Hamas did not occur in isolation but against a backdrop.
“It is important also to recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,” Guterres said.
Here, once again, the value of civilian lives, regardless of their ethnic or religious background, must be recognized and should not be targets of any side in any armed conflict.
A strategic question also must be answered for the long-term goals of the West and Israel: Will a genocide against Palestinians erase their struggle, or will it further isolate Israel and the West in the region? The potential repercussions, as highlighted by Thomas L. Friedman in a New York Times (NYT) article on Oct. 23, suggest that failure to draw a line for Israel could jeopardize the entire pro-American alliance structure in the region, including historic agreements like the Camp David peace treaty and the Abraham Accords.
“It could trigger a global conflagration and explode the entire pro-American alliance structure that the United States has built in the region since Henry Kissinger engineered the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. I am talking about the Camp David peace treaty, the Oslo Peace Accords, the Abraham Accords, and the possible normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The whole thing could go up in flares,” warns Friedman.
As discussions persist on the long-term resolution to this protracted conflict and occupation, the immediate focus should be on the ongoing bloodshed.
The urgent query remains: Will the supporters of Israel’s actions and violence translate their words into meaningful steps to protect Palestinian civilians, children and babies? In the face of unimaginable violence in the civilized world of 2023, the moral compass of the West is being tested, and the promise of a civilized world remains uncertain.
