Colonialism is still in practice. One reaches such a pessimistic worldview when tens of thousands of Palestinians are stopped from their ‘March of Return’ as the Israeli soldiers opened fire on the gathering resulting in the death of 15 Palestinians. Not a single day has passed in the last seven decades when the people of Palestinian lands have not gone through torture and humiliation by the occupying power, Israel. While on occasions the United Nations (UN) condemns the brutalities of Israeli forces against the Palestinians, Israel is yet to be reigned.
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres call for an investigation into the Gaza deaths was a necessary step to stop Israel from suppressing Palestinians. However, considering the fate of earlier investigations and resolutions aimed at preventing Israel from violating rights of Palestinians, it will not be wrong to assume that the latest call for an investigation will not yield the desired results. Fears are not misplaced that this call for ‘independent and transparent investigation’ will fail to put Israeli government to shame over its abysmal treatment of innocent Palestinians.
It is to state with sheer pain and disappointment that the body established, after World War II, to secure the future generations from the scourge of wars has consistently failed to achieve its task. The mass demonstration can be seen as the first demonstration of new intifada against suppression of Palestinians. If the global community and the UN fail to restrain Israel from further repressive measure against people of Gaza can give birth to a new conflict in the region.
The biggest irony is that Arabs are paying the cost of western brutalities against Jews in the last century. The continued conflict over Palestinian lands raises the question whether the UN even has the power to effectively solve the conflict in a peaceful manner, given that Israel enjoys America’s partisan support in the conflict.