Palestine bleeds but world stands a silent spectator

Palestine is bleeding in the month of Ramadan. The legacy of the Arab-Jew conflict finds its origin in hoary past of the Old Testament. Judaism as a religion and the Jews as a people originated in a place known as Canaan which is roughly where Israel sits today. But the Jews moved out of Palestine to Europe -not always voluntarily -during its conquest by successive ancient powers. The credit of the first decisive Western conquest however goes to Alexander the Great. Their integration during the period of Enlightenment with European culture and society only made them aware of the need for their nationhood. When the British seized Palestine from the Ottoman Empire, the process of establishment of a Jewish state began on the strength of the Balfour Declaration of 1917 under the British supervision. With settlement of the Jewish people, the hostility between the Palestinian Arabs and the Jews also renewed.
The Arab-Israeli conflict has since then flared in varying degrees at different times. Meanwhile, Israel turned into a state armed to its teeth but Palestine continued for its recognition as a state. In modern times, Israel has never lost in any war with its neigbours -let alone Palestine. This is because The United States of America has replaced Britain as its patron and stood steadfastly by its side. Even a leader of Yasir Arafat's stature and calibre could not quite succeed to have an independent Palestinian state clearly demarcated so that the disputes between the two sides were solved once and for all. No nation in modern times has gone on the offensive as many times as Israel has done. Innumerable times has its aggression caused human tragedies on the Palestinian side. Rarely does it respect international laws and the United Nations' principles for peaceful co-existence.
This latest act of aggression unleashed on civilians is so blatant, particularly at a time when the Muslims fast in this holy month of Ramadan, that it defies all civilised norms and respect for other people's faith. What is so tragic and at the same time intriguing is that no strong voice has been raised either from the Arab world or from other developing countries. Even the Nobel Peace award winners seem to have turned a blind eye to this modern version of holocaust. The bombs the Israeli army is using against innocent civilians are so deadly and accurate that the number of casualties is going up with every passing day. Both Israel and Egypt have sealed their borders off, leaving no room for the 1.8 million Palestinians to flee the attack. How inhuman and outrageous!
The Jews suffered the tragic holocaust at the hands of Nazis under Hitler. They themselves have now brought back the memory of that holocaust and racial pogrom. The Jews have got their share of the land and still they seem to be unsatisfied by their prize. Their occupation of the West Bank of Gaza and construction of houses in disputed territories are a clear message that they understand the language of muscle. Israeli blockade in the coastal area has ever remained a headache for the Hamas, the group that is fighting the far superior Israeli army.
Israel's zero tolerance to any attack on its interests has escalated the hostility beyond its border. But the way it is now making its case heard across the world is likely to draw revulsion against it. Yet it could not care less so long as its long-term allies did not disapprove its action. And there is hardly any prospect that the allies will desert the Jewish state. In the post-Cold War era, the equations between and among states seem to have changed for global imbalance in terms of power struggle and spheres of influence. All relations are being decided by business interests. Or else, Russia and China could have raised their voice against Israeli aggression on a civilian population.
Palestine has been divided but there are grey and disputed areas where the aggressor has the last words. The international community could have done enough to resolve the crisis by drawing clear boundaries. This has not been done. In the colonies the British once ruled, this has ever remained an endemic problem. Instead of mediating for a permanent settlement, the former occupiers find it advantageous to leave the dispute drag on indefinitely. In the West Bank, Israel has expanded its construction site and it has not helped the cause of dispute resolution.
Now if this continues to act as an incendiary, so much the better for Israel and its allies. Israel can present any attack against it as a pretext for occupation of more lands in that area and its Western allies will be able to sell more arsenals to that country. For a country like India too the defence pact has proved more important than an official protest against the aggression. A motion in Indian parliament was stifled prematurely by Narendra Modi's party. The unipolar and commercial-minded world is witnessing a much more debilitating role of the United Nations. If it moves like this, it will not be long before it becomes irrelevant like its predecessor, the League of Nations.
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