Enumerating deaths, repeating the so-called efforts for solutions and blaming Hamas, the whole notion of diplomatic efforts put in the streams of the Gaza crisis has not yet resulted in anything but the loss of thousands of lives of innocent but resilient people of Gaza. And in the foreseeable future an end to this is nowhere on offer.
Questions about the legitimacy and effectiveness of the international forums and community are essential, but it would be a naïve mistake. And why does the international community look stagnant and helpless? The answer is the USA.
Global forums such as the UN, formed to echo the voices of Subjugated and dismayed people, cannot even extract a resolution where all agree unanimously because, in the U.N. Security Council, the sole member who opposed the ceasefire resolution was the US. The ruling on January 26 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seems useless! Why? Because "Will not change U.S. policy supporting Israel," said the White House When ICJ passed a ruling ordering Israel to take provisional measures to stop killing civilians.
The most recent development is the likely ground invasion of Rafah by Israel, a bordering town across Egypt, where almost 1.3 million Palestinians are taking refuge. Netanyahu has made it explicit that nobody can stop them: "Those who say that under no circumstances should we enter Rafah are saying, 'Lose the war. Keep Hamas there.’"
Israel's military operation has resulted in the deaths of over 28,000 Palestinians in the region, leading to the displacement of over 80% of the population and triggering a severe humanitarian crisis. According to Gaza's Health Ministry, more than 12,300 Palestinian children and adolescents have lost their lives in the conflict, along with around 8,400 women. This means that children and young teens account for approximately 43% of the casualties, while women and minors together constitute three-quarters of the total deaths.
The way the US has reacted to this massacre and destruction of thousands of civilians is inhumane. All the textbook definitions of humanity and cruelty have been dismantled. The echoes of peace around the globe have not been sufficient to even bring Israel to a stage where things can be discussed. The US is still pouring billions of dollars into Israel with no questions about how this money is being used.
The utmost arbitrariness with which Israel is conducting its operations of massacring needs to be reckoned that it is not Israel but the U.S. who is the main responsible for this unprecedented destruction of Gaza. And the future of 3.3 million people is at the mercy of what the U.S. thinks, not what Israel perpetuates.
In the words of An Israeli retired general, Yitzhak Brick, "All of our missiles, the ammunition, the precision-guided bombs, all the airplanes and bombs, it's all from the U.S. The minute they turn off the tap, you can't keep fighting. You have no capability. … Everyone understands we can't fight this war without the United States."
Since World War 2,126 billion dollars have been provided to Israel, more than the U.S. gave to any other country. The U.S. ally already receives $3.8bn annually in military assistance under a 10-year plan that began in 2016.
Most recently, On Tuesday, February 13 2024, the Senate of the U.S. passed a $95 billion bill, according to which About $14.1 billion to support Israel and U.S. military operations. And to the sham for humanity, it also contains $9.2 billion in humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank, Ukraine, and others caught in war zones around the world.
Netanyahu is playing the hostage card, and the U.S. is embracing it with long statements; multiple visits of U.S. officials to the Middle East brought no good. When Biden met the King of Jordon in the White House, talks on a ceasefire for six weeks were underway, as Biden stated, but the main focus was the release of hostages.
The bigger picture, which Arabs and the entire world need to look into, is what the day after will be. Israel is not looking to stop here. Like most government officials, they made it clear, along with Netanyahu, that they wanted complete control from "Sea to the river." Making it clear no place for Palestinians.
Let's suppose hostages are freed. No one is left in Gaza about whom Israel cares. What is next, then? Will the U.S. stand by Israel in destroying Hamas? And when it is about Hamas, remember it's about more than 3 million people. And in the face of what is going on, more will be killed, many will be displaced, and thousands will get injured. But wait, there is still hope, and that is the US, which is more careful about those shipments attacked by Houthis in the Red Sea than anything else.