What a shameless world we live in today – surrounded by war-mongering politicians and phony generals who kill innocent children and then go on to present it as a historic victory. They would also fight a war against the unarmed in the name of self-defence and peace, yet no world law would ever be invoked to challenge their unrestrained use of force. Behind the best of decorated generals one would find in the recent days enough of sleaze to feel disgusted of the very idea that a human being, wearing a military attire, could be so self-centred as to relinquish morals and oaths to duty. However, the self-centred people aren’t confined only to the military command of the world’s armies, though they may be found in abundance in one or two parts of the sphere we call earth.
No analyst could foretell that before the end of the euphoria in the US that came with President Obama’s re-election, during the victory speech of which he promised end to a decade of war, Israel, its pampered ally in the Middle East, would embark on yet another spate of barbaric attacks on the unarmed populace of the besieged Gaza in Palestine. Hardly a few of us would be fully aware of the life in Gaza – as they say only the Gazans know what their life means.
The writer had a chance to meet a few Palestinians, including Gazans, during a peace programme in the US. There were also people from the opposite side – the Israelis. It was quite a surprise to find the Israelis exactly as they are known in this part of the world – for their knack to be crude and inhumane in the face of a human tragedy that may befall the others. It was surprising to note a species so in obsession with selves that they would lose sight of humanity, the common bond amongst all of us. If behaviours are to tell anything, for Israelis, it could be said that they believe only they are entitled to all the privileges and the right to exist. They even go to the extent of monopolising tragedy; that only their tragedy is the real tragedy. It was disgusting to find out a human being (Israeli) virtually scorn at the tragic tale of another human being (Palestinian).
The recent spate of attacks on the Gazans only stems from the same, abovementioned mindset that monopolises tragedy and the right to existence. It could be said that the Israelis, in their fresh assaults, are only pushing to their extreme their philosophy of existence – that once under a shred of threat, annihilate the opponent, with utmost disregard to who gets victimised in the process. If it weren’t so, how could the Israelis fail to see for themselves how many children their airstrikes have killed over the last five days.
Let us all be reminded that the blood of no human being should be made as cheap as the Israelis have made the blood of the Palestinians. And the refrain is more for the advocates of Israeli barbarism who cite barrage of Hamas rockets as an excuse for Israel to launch brutal, indiscriminate attacks under its self-styled paradigm of self-defence. By throwing their weight behind Israel, its allies have conveniently overlooked the misery befalling the Palestinians. And they, in doing that, have also given Israel the right to kill children. On Sunday, four children of a same family perished in just one such Israeli strike. Israel has launched hundreds of indiscriminate strikes, and continues.