The recent assaults perpetrated by Hamas, the militant body that controls the densely populated Gaza Strip housing over two million residents, has had far-reaching consequences beyond Israel’s borders. This crisis has divided global public opinion, with some strongly supporting or opposing Israel. However, the urgency lies not in picking sides, but in earnestly seeking a resolution that transcends this binary conflict.
The deadly Hamas attack and relentless retaliatory attacks by Israel have exacted a staggering toll, claiming over 8,000 lives in Gaza and 1,400 lives in Israel. The widespread destruction of properties and the forced displacement of countless individuals bear stark testimony to the catastrophic fallout of the relentless assaults by Hamas and the retaliatory strikes by Israel. Amid such unfathomable human suffering, what reason could there possibly be for the proponents of either Hamas or Israel to celebrate? The tragic reality is that human lives have become the prime targets, with no immediate prospect of a peaceful resolution emerging on the horizon.
The uncompromising and extreme policies upheld by both Israel and Hamas represent the primary impediments to fostering a lasting peace between the Palestinians and Israel. While Hamas vehemently advocates for the complete eradication of Israel, Israel's approach often disregards the notion of a two-state solution, consistently expands the settlement areas, and exhibits a lack of respect towards the sacred religious sites revered not only by Palestinians, but also by the wider Muslim world. Such entrenched stances only serve to perpetuate the cycle of violence and undermine any potential for meaningful reconciliation.
Undoubtedly, the recent strike carried out by Hamas has challenged the longstanding perception of the invincibility of the Israeli defense apparatus and its once highly regarded intelligence capabilities. However, it's highly unlikely that this attack will lead to the end of the Israeli occupation of the Gaza territory.
Brokering a mutually acceptable resolution between these deeply entrenched factions has consistently appeared to be an insurmountable challenge leaving one and only option for them - use of force to achieve their divergent objectives. In the pursuit of these objectives, any perceived triumph by the Palestinians or the Israeli forces not only elicits jubilation and fulfillment among the key players but also among their respective supporters. The human suffering and the widespread devastation stemming from this ongoing conflict appear to hold minimal significance for them.
Undoubtedly, the recent strike carried out by Hamas has challenged the longstanding perception of the invincibility of the Israeli defense apparatus and its once highly regarded intelligence capabilities. However, it's highly unlikely that this attack will lead to the end of the Israeli occupation of the Gaza territory. Instead, it has deepened divisions within leading Muslim countries in the region. Iran, Lebanon, and Syria have shown support for Hamas, while Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE align with Israel, leading to a regional divide.
Strikingly, there's a growing global public outcry, especially in both the Muslim and Western worlds, against Israel's ongoing aerial and ground operations in Gaza. The condemnation of these actions is intensifying day by day. However, these reproaches seem to have little impact on Israel's unwavering focus, which is primarily centered on disarming Hamas at any cost.
The lack of decisive action by Muslim countries in response to the relentless Israeli attacks on Gaza has created a significant gap between the people and their governments as well. Egypt and Jordan have refused to accept any Palestinian refugees in their countries. The President of Egypt, Abdel Fatah El-Sissi, called it an attempt to push Gaza’s inhabitants to migrate to Egypt, and any mass exodus would risk bringing militants into Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, from where they might launch attacks on Israel, endangering the two countries’ 40 year old peace treaty. The Afghan Taliban, known for their Jihadi sentiments, have raised questions about the inaction of the Muslim ummah. Meanwhile, the Afghan press has questioned the silence of the Taliban regarding Israel's ongoing assaults on Gaza. Simultaneously, an attempt by Jamaat-e-Islami to stage a demonstration outside the United States embassy in Islamabad in support of Palestinians resulted in the apprehension of their leaders and activists.
A rhetorical showdown also persists between Israelis and Arabs, each laying blame on the other as colonizers. From the Arab perspective, the 1917 Balfour Declaration issued by the British, who were the colonizers of Palestine, catalyzed the formation of the Israeli government within the historical Palestinian territory, inhabited by Arabs for several centuries. Without the British Empire's triumph over the Ottoman Empire and their plans to establish a Jewish state in the Palestinian land, the dream of an Israeli nation in Palestine would have remained an impossibility for the Zionist movement.
The plight of the Palestinian people is compounded by yet another tragic dimension. Their suffering has not only stemmed from the atrocities inflicted by Israel alone but has also, at times, from the ill-treatment they have faced from some Muslim nations.
In response, Zionists assert that Jewish communities have resided in the land of Israel for nearly 3,500 years before being displaced by Arab colonizers. Whatever the validity of their historical claim, the proposition of remedying an age-old injustice, after nearly 1,300 years, invites scrutiny regarding similar historical wrongs across the globe. If Israel maintains the stance of rectifying past grievances through coercive means, then the Palestinians are equally justified in seeking to redress the injustices stemming from the British Empire's actions in 1917. The entanglement of both Palestinians and Jews within a historical conundrum presents a complex deadlock that seemingly defies any peaceful resolution.
The plight of the Palestinian people is compounded by yet another tragic dimension. Their suffering has not only stemmed from the atrocities inflicted by Israel alone but has also, at times, from the ill-treatment they have faced from some Muslim nations. This mistreatment often arises from certain tendencies within the Palestinian community that have, on occasion, contributed to exacerbating their predicament. The perceived reticence or limited vocal response to the relentless retaliatory assaults by Israel on the Gaza Strip is attributed to the shared concerns of several prominent Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, and Jordan. These nations contend with a collective array of threats emanating from entities such as Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels in Yemen, and the Muslim Brotherhood, compelling them to tread cautiously in their public stance on the ongoing conflict.
The collective challenges faced by these Muslim nations can be traced back to some significant historical events. Over half a century ago, the Jordanian Civil War erupted, pitting native Jordanians and the Palestinians against each other. This conflict, famously known as Black September, continued for 10 days, from September 17th to 27th, 1970. Estimates of the fatalities resulting from this tumultuous clash vary, with figures ranging from 4,000 to 10,000, although the PLO claimed a staggering toll of 25,000 lives. Notably, the former President and General Zia-ul-Haq of Pakistan had commanded the 2nd Division during this period and was duly honored by Jordan for his contributions.
The tragic massacre of Palestinian refugees in the Sabra and Shatila camps in Beirut, Lebanon, spanning from the 16th to the 18th of September, 1982, was another incident of atrocities faced by the Palestinians in a land where they had sought refuge from the Israeli onslaughts. This incident unfolded in the aftermath of the assassination of Lebanon's president-elect, Bachir Gemayel on September 14, 1982. The Israeli forces reportedly falsely attributed his assassination to Palestinians, thus inciting a climate of conflict. The number of Palestinian lives lost during this devastating event varies, with estimates ranging from 762 to 3,500.
These conflicts, with their alarming toll on human life, starkly reveal the deep-rooted political, sectarian, and ideological divisions not only between the Palestinians and Israelis, but also within other Middle Eastern Muslim countries. These ideological disparities manifest vividly in the actions and inactions of these countries concerning the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Against this backdrop of historical unrest and suffering, a pivotal question arises: should the road to resolution be paved by the deepening of divides and animosity, or should it rather be built upon cultivating a shared understanding among all conflicting parties, fostering constructive dialogue, and addressing grievances through a collaborative and mutually agreeable approach? It seems highly unlikely as long as the repressive methods used by the Israeli government against Palestinians or violence by Hamas are not unequivocally denounced with moral clarity.