By Zulkafil Hassan Khan
Till today more than 12000 innocent Palestinians have been killed and still the joint meeting of OIC-Arab League is busy in cosmetic signaling and diplomatic posturing. No action plan, no concrete solution and no unified leadership of Muslim world to halt the worsening human situation in Gaza. It is indeed one of the most bitter lessons of human history that only debates will not rebate peace. Muslim Ummah should think beyond the mundane to seek peace and stability in Gaza, the new spot of Romans luxury human killings.
Unfortunately, social media is flooded with further division of Shia Crescent and Sunni monarchies which is not a good omen for regional stability.
It seems that the Middle East is going to be further subjugated into deadly proxies starting from Yemen to Lebanon entangling countries and communities into the flames of so-called holy war. The critical analysis of International relations discipline vividly reflects that it is not a much projected religious war. It is a true reflection of naked power politics which does not even care about moralities and always deals in mortars.
The hawkish leaders sitting in Tel Aviv, Washington, and Brussels and in the Middle East are playing with the falling souls of Gazans to secure their own lion share in the region. Thus a new end game has started in the Middle East. The end of this war will determine the new rules of regional engagements and reconciliation in the days to come.
The secret mission of Hamas has rattled many capitals and security headquarters around the globe. Initially it was a gross security failure of Israel which paved the way for a massive infiltration from various channels. It has badly exposed the efficiency of the Iron-doom system which has numerous strategic ramifications forcing the US and its regional allies to reinforce their anti-missile apparatus. However, it has effectively reunited the politically divided Israel and all its political parties.
Regionally, it has badly struck the imminent grand regional reconciliation drive among Israel and other countries mainly Saudi Arabia. The ongoing massive protests and processions in the Middle East have emerged as potential threats, posing risks of social disharmony and political chaos to established dynasties.
The re-union of Hamas and Hezbollah, re-grouping of Riyadh and Tehran and last but not least, rapprochement between Washington and Beijing all clearly indicate redefining, redrafting and re-settlement of the new Middle East. Humanity and economics have now been specifically targeted in the naked play and ploy of power politics in Gaza.
The economies of Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Syria and to some extent Saudi Arabia are now feeling the heat of Israel-Palestine unmatched war, indiscriminate killing of small babies and elderly alike. It has now become the biggest ethnic cleansing and genocide of the 21st century and it seems that the victims of holocaust are now committing another “holocaust”.
Even the Chinese BRI and most recently announced India-Middle East-US-EU trans-regional transport corridor have been delayed and derailed, compromising regional progress and prosperity.
The start of a new round of war between Israel and Hamas has changed the dynamics of international politics. The unending war between Russia and Ukraine has been put into the background which has to be considered one of the biggest strategic defeats for the Pentagon and the United States. The US Military Complex Theory has now another window of supplies which is in search of new avenues of testing and targeting in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen.
The UN Security Council has been acting as a toothless puppet and has become a musical chair for the big powers, using vetoes intentionally against each other just to secure their allies’ vested interests. This crisis has exposed the myth of western humanity.
Despite the good intentions of Türkiye, Qatar and Pakistan, the spoiled child, Israel is ruthlessly busy in demolishing the homes and hopes of innocent and helpless Palestinians in Gaza. It is reported that in 36 days Israel has destroyed more than 250 schools, 90 mosques, and almost every hospital that exists in Gaza. This absolute barbarism shows that Israel is not committing this violence to “defend” itself but this savageness is part and parcel of its colonial dna.
Naturally, the wounds, wandering souls and unjust killing of Palestinians will give rise to a new round of radicalization, terrorism and fanaticism in the Middle East in the days to come. It is also feared that the true socio-economic, geopolitical and geostrategic dividends of recently concluded peace agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran will not yield any substantial outcome.
Somehow, a symbolic pause has been secured only for four hours a day, but it is evident that the US has pushed its ally for such a pause only to protect its own interests so the call for pause came after immense pressure from the raging public and after it exposed the rhetoric of the west being “humanitarian”. Unfortunately, humanity is bleeding and the regional leaders and global powers are busy in new war games.
In summary, true implementation Two States solution is the way forward. Palestine and all other frozen issues i.e. occupied Kashmir and Northern Cyprus should be resolved through dialogue, diplomacy and development as soon as possible because failure of these attributes of modern human civilization and political settlement may provoke the Third World War in the future.
According to many estimations it may take a decade to rebuild bombed Gaza. Thus only pledges of peace and noble acts of charity will achieve nothing but further division and destruction in the Middle East. Unfortunately the ongoing Israel-Palestine war is the start of decline of so-called Arab Nationalism.
The author is Youth Ambassador at The Center for South Asia & International Studies (CSAIS) Islamabad.
