Key takeaways

IT is now indisputable that Israel’s mass murder and destruction of Gaza had nothing to do with finishing off Hamas. The real reason was to depopulate Gaza and the West Bank and make it a part of ‘Greater Israel’. It is also clear that the same policy of mass murder and destruction of infrastructure to make Lebanon uninhabitable is being followed so as to annex that country.
Statements of Israeli politicians and diplomats also indicate that they have every intention of occupying Sinai and part of Syria. If they succeed in doing this, they will have fulfilled what Moses promised them in the Old Testament. The Israeli public and politicians firmly believe that what is mentioned in the scriptures is their right — odd for a supposedly secular country and that too in 2024. It is a belief that is also supported by a considerable population of US citizens who are waiting for the second coming of Christ.
It is also clear that the Western powers (the EU, Nato, and the US) have supported Israel’s ambitions by providing it with military equipment, spare parts for military hardware, and/or financial assistance. They have also supported the American vetoes in the Security Council for a ceasefire in the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
There are other takeaways too. During diplomatic initiatives, both in the UN and at press conferences, the Israelis never mentioned Palestine’s name. In a map presented before the UN, Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, showed not only the Palestinian territories but also Lebanon, parts of Syria and Iraq, Jordan, and parts of Saudi Arabia as a ‘new Middle East’.
Large sections of the Western media justified Israel’s destruction of Gaza, saying that this was being done for Israel’s right to exist. Many journalists, who reported otherwise or showed pro-Palestinian leanings, were sacked or coerced into changing their stories. It was only after millions of citizens around the world (including in the West) demonstrated against the war in favour of the Palestinians that media reporting underwent a change.
In addition, Al Jazeera fought a media war against Western propaganda and since it told the truth with images, it emerged as the most watched and believed media on the subject.
Reporting changed when schools and hospitals were destroyed, children were murdered, and food and water were denied to the Gazans, and when homelessness and repeated relocation were forced on the victims of bombardment and the truth could no longer be wished away. As a result, some countries recognised the state of Palestine. This has been considered a victory but Israel has continued bombing and murdering the citizens of Gaza, the West Bank, and now Lebanon.
The Israelis have been taught to consider the Arabs as barbarians and cowards, incapable of protecting themselves. However, the Oct 7 event demonstrated that the Arabs could fight back effectively. The event humiliated the Israelis and much of the ferocity of the Israeli response was the result of being insulted. The Arab response also led to an interest in Arab history and culture in the West. It showed the West that the Arabs had a great history, beautiful music and dance, literature, and that above all, they were a highly educated society and had outstanding people in the social and physical sciences. And then they were almost white, many with light eyes!
One of the aims of the Israelis was to obliterate these out­­-standing people and the educational and health institutions where they were tr­­ai­­ned. In Gaza, they have succee­ded in doing this to a great extent.
A very disturbing development (apart from the genocide) in this conflict is that there is nothing left of international law and its institutions. Policy and election results in the US that has veto powers within the Security Council are also governed by what is known as the ‘Jewish lobby, which controls much of corporate sector investments both globally and in the US.
In addition, it finances prospective and serving Congressmen by supporting their election through huge bribes.
The result is that the US Congress is not only pro-Israel, but also responsible for framing US foreign policy and domestic legislation. US military aid to Israel amounts to roughly $3 billion per year.
Given these figures, it is obvious that the US is subservient to Israel and in light of the present electoral trends will remain so in the foreseeable future. So it will be a long war with the Muslim world, which is torn between ‘pragmatism’ and the pressure exerted for an anti-US policy by its own citizens.
The writer is an architect.
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[www.arifhasan.org][1]
Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2024