The conflict between Israel and Palestine over territory has polarized countries around the globe. Some stand against the Zionist regime as an impregnable wall. The same is true for Palestine, but with some structural weaknesses. The seven decades of fighting between these arch-rivals have resulted in nothing but a bloodbath.

Currently, the state of Palestine doesn’t have a military; however, it has Palestinian Security Services, which are no match for the IDF. Palestinians are controlled by multiple factions, such as Hamas, a militant outfit in Gaza City (which calls itself a resistance group), and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in the West Bank, which identifies itself as the true representative of the Palestinian people. Both Hamas and the PLO differ in many ways. On one side, the PLO advocates for self-determination, Palestinian nationalism, and the establishment of the State of Palestine. On the other hand, Hamas calls for the annihilation of Israel. Some argue that Hamas’ ideology deeply adheres to radicalization, representing a controversial aspect of Islam.

In the past, a two-state solution was offered by the United Nations to broker peace between the nations, but it was rejected by the Palestinians, who viewed it as unjust since they consider themselves the native heirs of the land. Many Muslim nations recognize Israel as a sovereign nation, creating a scenario of being between a rock and a hard place. Israel currently occupies around 70 percent of Palestinian land, which violates United Nations Resolution 181 and the Oslo Accords.

In an interview, Israeli historian and author Yuval Noah Harari stressed that there is enough food in the territory to feed the entire region and sufficient land to build homes for both Palestinians and Israelis. However, the hypocrisy of Western countries is evident as they support the genocidal acts of the Zionist regime rather than promoting an agenda to stop war crimes.

For Western countries, the decades of abhorrent crimes by Israel on Palestinian land are not enough to prompt action. Take, for example, Lockheed Martin, the global aerospace and technology company that supplies arms and ammunition to Israel to continue its massacre against innocent people of Gaza, with the support of liberal democracies and human rights advocates.

Supporting the Palestinian cause doesn’t mean endorsing Hamas’ crimes against ordinary Jewish people and foreigners, such as the incident on October 7th. This is a matter of serious concern. Despite daily heinous crimes, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) remain silent. On January 26th, the ICJ issued a decision to stop Israel’s crimes against the people of Gaza, but Israel appears indifferent. The Israeli PM even stated that the ICC’s ruling would not affect Israel’s actions. If Israel does not comply with international laws and organizations, how will other countries be compelled to follow them? The role of the “impregnable wall,” in this case, is clear—it’s Uncle Sam. If another country committed the same crimes, it would have been sanctioned or pressured to comply with the law.

HASSAN RAZA,

Islamabad.