I have been silently watching what's going in Palestine and Israel. I felt numb. I have been trying to process this human tragedy of biblical proportions. How ironical that the biblical land suffers from a tragedy of biblical proportions, too. The scale of senseless violence and loss of precious human lives just cannot be reasoned, forget justified.
Not that my word matters or is of any significance, however, I did want to express my anger and frustration. I was waiting for Israel's response. And much as I expected, the response was still shocking and beyond disgusting.
Over 3,000 unarmed, innocent Palestinians and more than 1,000 Palestinian kids murdered by Israel. Hospitals bombed, a lone book store bombed, homes reduced to rubble, children orphaned, families wiped out, this is a genocide. Genocide.
I cannot support/condone/hail the heinous war crimes that Hamas has committed by attacking Israelis. In fact, no one in the right, sane frame of mind can. Apart from mad, blood-thirsty, everyone-hating Muslims.
Hamas is a terrorist organisation. This is an established fact. There's no difference between Taliban, Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Lashkar-e-Tayaba (LeT), Harkat-ul-Ansar, ISIS, and all other such terrorist outfits. Supporting Hamas means legitimising and supporting Taliban, TTP, ISIS, Lej etc and terrorism.
I can never dream of it in my wildest, most vicious nightmares. We have suffered at the hands of these terrorists. They are all non-state, rogue actors that only want power. They are extremists and utterly fascist. They don't believe in individual and human rights and freedoms and democracy. There is no difference between them and The Third Reich, Khmer Rouge, RSS, VHP, BJP, Singh Parivar etc.
Apart from using Islam as a cover, another common thread among them is all were founded by establishments and supported by powers they claim to fight against. Hamas was also funded and supported by Israel. Its founder Sheikh Yasin often received medical care in Tel Aviv Hospitals.
Israel helped Hamas to break the influence of a secular PLO in Palestine. I hope now it is regretting its decision to feed the jackals which turned on to the hand that fed them. Israel followed the policy of its mentor the USA but forget that geography plays a very important role in adopting such stupid , myopic strategies. The USA could never face such heinous attack from Al-Qaeda because Afghanistan doesn't have borders with the USA.
Now, let's come to the response by Israel. It's utterly despicable, inhuman and shameful. Because Israel is a state that claims to be not only democratic but also a torch bearer of humans rights and freedoms in the Middle East. In fact, it claims to be the only such state in the Middle East.
However, its actions in the past, and recently in its response to the Hamas terror attacks betray the tall claims.
Carpet bombing, displacing millions of people, murdering children, attacking hospitals and use of banned weapons like phosphorus bombs are few of the heinous measures that this so called practitioner state of human rights and freedoms has employed against the unarmed and innocent people of Gaza. Israel is tightening screws on the already ghettoised Gaza. Is there a word for such a ghetto. Its forcing Gazans to leave their homes.
Where do they go? Egypt (who has already closed off borders to them), the West Bank? Judae and Sumairia? Even the borders and check posts have been bombed. Is that how a state that wishes peaceful relations with its neighbours behave in trying, turbulent times?
Israel recently has been gung-ho on establishing relations with Middle Eastern countries. The world hailed Abraham Accords, under which Israel's diplomatic relations with Morrocco, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates have been established. The peace process with Saudi Arabia was on the fast track with top level officials visits. Next, Pakistan was on the list. But who can trust a State that commit atrocities on millions of innocent Palestinians?
Israel has failed its citizens. Instead of having an internal dialogue and self reflection and apologising to its citizens for this grand failure of intelligence security, Israel seeks revenge from all Palestinians.
This response was equally shocking and odious as Hamas'. In fact, it was worse as the atrocities are being conducted by a nuclear, so-called democratic State on non-state, rogue terrorists. Beyond shameful.
Under the rule of an extremist, almost terrorist-esque Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, Israel is behaving like the Nazi Germany. About time Israelis have deep self reflection moment and meaningful debate regarding their State's behaviour. Now is the time to decide if they want long lasting peace and how to achieve it.
All Pakistanis whose hearts are melting for Palestinians must look at their own hypocrisy . They must also remember that the Butcher of Sabrah and Shatila Ariel Sharon did not murder, or perhaps the State Israel hasn't murdered as many Palestinians as one their own general and President murdered.
Yes, it was the Black September when General Zia ul Haq, then a brigadier, massacred more than 40,000 Palestinians in Jordan.
The whole of Pakistan remained silent when Saudi Arab massacred thousands of Yemenis who were also Muslims. Similarly, they don't raise their voice against the Chinese oppression of Uyghur Muslims who are treated in the similar manner as Jews were and Palestinians are by the Chinese and Israeli states respectively.
Also, we seem to have a short memory. We have forgotten how Waziristan was evacuated resulting in hundreds of thousands displaces becoming Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) by the Military under the pretext of operation clean up of terrorists. Israel seems to be following the sane pattern.
Also, just days ago in Peshawar at a JUIF rally, Mufti Mehmood rally invited terrorist Hamas leader Khalid Mashal to speak. Pakistan has suffered enough and is still suffering at the hands of Muslims. terrorists. How can we support another terrorist organisation in Palestine? And we have just come out of the FATF gray list.
It does not have to be annihilation of 6 million to be a holocaust, it is the idea that makes it one.