Sunday, October 29, 2023

Witnessing Genocide

  • Aasma Wadud

Source: Al Mayadeen English

After October 7, 2023, the surprise attack by Hamas on “Israel”, the world has witnessed brutality, viciousness, barbarism, apathy, and savagery carried out by a savage occupation.

Gaza was subjected to inhuman collective punishment. Carpet bombing is used to impart collateral damage. The besieged Gaza Strip is deprived of water, food, fuel, medicine, and electricity. Hospitals, homes, humanitarian aid workers, and journalists are intentionally targeted. 

Geneva Convention is being burned to ash in the cover of the right to defense as the flag bearers of human rights, democracy, and freedom-backed "Israel" in this vicious genocide.  

Even after the undiscriminating bloodbath of innocent men, women, and children, devastation beyond comprehension, and heart-tearing optics, "Israel" still struggles to minimize the humiliation it felt after the complete failure of its intelligence and security forces. Sunken in the pool of shame and humiliation, "Israel" is making its worth felt by lashing out at innocent civilians. Despite "Israel's" advanced American F-35 fighter jet, missile defense batteries, American-made Patriot, phosphorus bombs, and half a million ground troops, Palestinians are still fighting back. However, it seems that the imbalance of power and resistance they are receiving adds insult to "Israel's" injury. 

But "Israel" is not the only one to blame in this evolving situation. This century-old issue flourished on the criminal yet intentional negligence of the Western world. "Israel's" capacity to cut water, electricity, fuel, and food almost instantly explains the dynamics of "Israel's" occupation in the region. Such barbarism is not new for "Israel" as it imposed a similar air, land, and sea blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007, recognizing it as "the world's largest open-air prison." Surrounded by concrete walls and barbed wire fences, residents of Gaza cannot leave the territory without Israeli-approved permits. This suffocating siege of 17 years had the approval of the international community. 

The world witnessed that in silence. No voice was raised. The West shoulders responsibility equally for this crime against humanity. 

Gaza, a 41 km (25 mi) long concentration camp, is home to 2.5 million Palestinians who cannot respond to the catastrophic calamity that has befallen them. The health system, with a capacity of 2,600 has to respond to almost 10,00 injuries in the last 10 days. Leaving the ones who survived aside, the water blockade makes it impossible to give 2,778 dead a decent burial according to Islamic practices. 

Israelis ordered a forced evacuation of 1.1 M Palestinians to loom a ground attack, a war crime that mocks the Geneva Convention. "Israel" further aggravated the dreadful situation by targeting the migrants on their way to the South as sitting ducks. With all borders sealed, no one can leave Gaza, nor can humanitarian aid get in, leaving Palestinians vulnerable and helpless. 

"Israel" is not only an apartheid regime, it is a warmonger, too. With a consistent gap, "Israel" has repeatedly gone to war with all its neighbors. Even in the last two decades, "Israel" cheered the war in Iraq in 2003. 2006, it went to war with Lebanon; in 2008-2009 and 2020, it attacked Gaza, and the list continues. 

The Pentagon has redirected the Gerald R. Ford carrier with 5,000 crew members to the Eastern Mediterranean, raising concerns in the region. "Israel", with a ramp plan for war, always has an opportunity to aggravate a war of incomprehensible magnitude, with Iran being the primary focus. Only time will tell whether the US is complementing "Israel's" interest or vice versa. 

We are witnessing a genocide. The nations supporting "Israel" in this pursuit are equally responsible for this massacre. An immediate ceasefire must be done with an instantaneous halt to these horrific war crimes. The Palestine issue should be resolved according to the UN resolutions. Peace cannot prevail in the air of occupation, suppression, depravity, and slavery. The 75 years of resilience exhibited by the Palestinians is enough to understand that you cannot legitimize occupation and normalize depravities. "Israel" will find itself in the same position time and time again if it continues its mindless aggression and illegal occupation. The drive to be free is an essential integrant of the human soul. It travels from heart to heart until it actualizes. No war crime, carpet bombing, barbarism, tyranny, calling people human animals and treating them like one can ever curb it. There is no military solution to it as Palestinians are not seeking land but freedom, which completely transforms the reality. They are people dispossessed of land, blocked, besieged, discriminated against, marginalized, economically crippled, and have nothing to lose. Apartheid and supremacist approaches will always procure violence because they can only breed hatred, contempt, discontent, dislike, skepticism, and mistrust, leading to resistance, resilience, and revolt. "Israel" is in a losing war. Unfortunately, the vicious circle of hatred and revenge will continue unless "Israel" changes its attitude and approach towards Palestine, and the civilized world should respect and value human lives irrespective of their nationalities and location. 

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