The following article from Global Times discusses the recent escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the hypocritical behaviour of the Western powers.
The article observes that the Israeli state has ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza – a densely-populated area which has already been under effective siege for the last 16 years, and which has often been described as the world’s largest open-air prison. In addition to the loss of several thousand Palestinian lives in the last decade (mostly the result of missile strikes), Israel’s ongoing abuse of Palestinian human rights has led to the devastation of the economy and the near-collapse of basic services. Now in response to the surprise attack led by Hamas, Israel is engaged in a further act of collective punishment, cutting off electricity and water supplies, while mobilising its military for a possible full-scale ground invasion of Gaza.
The author asserts that “the urgent task facing the international community, especially the major powers, is to quickly put the brakes on this tragedy and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian catastrophe.” Unfortunately the imperialist powers are showing no interest in preventing a catastrophe or in addressing the fundamental cause of the crisis – the ongoing national oppression of the Palestinian people.
The article points out that “the most rational and responsible approach is to call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and calm and to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible.” But the US and its allies are instead increasing their military aid to Israel, cracking down on pro-Palestine opinion at home, and waging fierce propaganda against the Palestinian resistance movement. “The words and actions of the US and many Western countries are fanning the flames rather than cooling down the situation.”
Xi Jinping commented in December 2022 that “the legitimate rights of a nation are not up for trade. I would like to reiterate that China firmly supports the establishment of an independent State of Palestine that enjoys full sovereignty based on 1967 borders and with East Jerusalem as its capital.” It is perfectly clear that there will be no lasting peace in the region until the Palestinian people gain their freedom and self-determination, in accordance with international law.
The casualty data of this round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is being updated every day, causing concern and distress for the civilians living in the area. According to Israeli media reports on October 9, the conflict has resulted in more than 1,300 deaths and over 5,000 injuries on both sides. Both Israel and Palestine have suffered a large number of civilian casualties. Additionally, humanitarian relief organizations of the United Nations have stated that over 120,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been displaced. The conflict is still escalating, and there is a significant degree of uncertainty about how much it will escalate and in which direction it will develop in the future. However, one thing is certain: The damage and suffering caused by the conflict will largely be borne by the local civilians, and they are in great need of care and protection from the outside world.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has ordered a “complete siege” on Gaza, where over 2 million Palestinian residents live densely packed. They already endure severe material blockades and restrictions on movement year-round, and the outbreak of the conflict has added to their dangers and hardships. Electricity and water supplies have been cut off, and a new humanitarian disaster is brewing. This is a focal point that the international community cannot afford to ignore in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The urgent task facing the international community, especially the major powers, is how to quickly put the brakes on this tragedy and prevent a larger-scale humanitarian catastrophe. It is the responsibility of the international community to address this issue promptly.
It must be said that the long-term marginalization of the Palestinian issue by Western countries, particularly the US, is extremely cruel. Western elites often ignore the actual humanitarian disasters while enthusiastically discussing abstract human rights, which is very hypocritical. We have noticed that many voices in the West are trying to create pressure for “taking sides,” listing which countries “have not condemned Hamas.” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken even openly “advised” Saudi Arabia during a conversation with the Saudi Foreign Minister to “clearly condemn” the attack. To be honest, Washington is not in a position to educate anyone on this issue.
All acts of violence and attacks targeting civilians are unacceptable in any civilized society and must be strongly condemned by the international community, regardless of the perpetrators. When conflicts erupt, the most rational and responsible approach is to call on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and calm and to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible. However, in this case, we still see that the words and actions of the US and many Western countries are, in fact, fanning the flames rather than cooling down the situation. This is a consistent pattern for Western countries in many conflict regions, where they often create substantial obstacles to crisis resolution.
Take a typical example: Nikki Haley, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, who has already announced her candidacy for the 2024 US presidential election, specifically mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X (formerly Twitter), saying, “This is not just an attack on Israel – this was an attack on America.” “Finish them… They should have hell to pay for what they have just done.”
The remarks are filled with hostility and strong incitement. These extreme words promote hatred and represent the true attitude of many American politicians toward the Palestinian issue and other international issues. In their eyes, the world is seen as a binary opposition of black and white, with them representing justice. They are accustomed to understanding and perceiving the complex reality of international politics with simplistic and crude linear thinking, and they handle international hot issues with intricate historical backgrounds in a simplistic and crude manner. As a result, this approach only adds fuel to the fire and leads to greater disasters.
As an unhealed wound in the international community, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict repeatedly reminds the world of the extreme importance of collective security. The crisis is recurring primarily because the Middle East peace process has deviated from the right track, and the foundation of the “two-state solution” has been continuously eroded, with relevant United Nations resolutions not being effectively implemented. While it is important for the international community to mediate and promote the immediate de-escalation of the situation, this is only a temporary solution for the Israeli-Palestinian issue. To truly achieve lasting peace and allow the residents of this land to live stable and dignified lives, it is necessary to return to the grand ideas and principles of collective security. The pursuit of “absolute security” will only result in absolute insecurity, and there have already been enough tragedies and lessons learned from this.
It is essential to quickly de-escalate the situation and stop innocent civilians from becoming victims, as this is a basic human right. Major powers, in particular, have a responsibility to play their role and should take necessary actions to promote dialogue, achieve a ceasefire, and restore peace. Any actions that add fuel to the fire or take sides will only further complicate and hinder the situation. Only by truly practicing the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative, and sustainable security can the Israeli-Palestinian conflict achieve lasting peace.
I am from Vancouver, Canada and i wanted to say that the majority of People in the world including myself support the Palestinian People in defending themselves against the onslaught of the Barbaric Israeli Forces that have been happening since 1948 with no end in site. This is not a regular War. This is Israeli Genocide against the Palestinian People.
Palestinians have the right to attack Israeli Forces who are Occupying their land. The UN can vouch for that. The Collective West always condemns the Palestinian People when they are defending themselves against unprovoked attacks by Israeli Forces.That is a crime and as been condemned throughout the World. Israel has committed many Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes against the Palestinian People since 1948 and yet the Israeli Gov’t has not yet been brought before the ICC in the Hague to be charged with these Crimes. That is a Crime by itself.
It is also been proved that Israel is an Apartheid State yet the Western Countries all Trade with Israel as if it wasn’t an Apartheid State.
The People in Gaza has been living in an Open Air prison for over a Decade with no country in the world helping them. Hamas did the right thing in attacking Israel last week to try and free the People of Gaza from these barbaric conditions. It is Israel that is the Aggressor against the people of Gaza and should be condemned not Hamas. Anyone who condemns Hamas is an enemy of Palestine. Gaza is like the Warsaw Ghetto from World War 2 and no one is doing anything about it. There are Demonstrations all over the world in support of Hamas and the Heroic Ezzedeen Al- Qassam Brigades who are defending the Heroic People of Gaza against the Genocidal, Apartheid Israeli Gov’t. Scott Ritter who knows what he is talking about says that Israel will not win this battle against Gaza. The World is with Gaza! From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be Free!
The endless denial of rights, forced evictions, land theft and murder carried out by Israel upon the Palestinians can only be described as a war crime under international law. Those states supporting Israel therefore are complicit in the these crimes. The current conflict was the inevitable desperate reaction of Palestinians forced to live in poverty and under constant attack by Israel and Israelis. The Israeli reaction is genocidal pure and simple. Unless the international community step in it has all the ingredients of sparking a wider and far more dangerous conflict.
The US and Israel love to present a Truncated Truth–one that only offers a selected tiny portion of the far greater historical violence committed by the self-proclaimed “lone Superpower” and his allies. Instead of heeding the global majority’s demand for Cease-fires and Peace talks, Uncle Sam and his minions insist on more arms and more Wars, both in Palestine and Ukraine. That’s the ugly agenda of an Imperialist world order.