ONE views daily the events in Israel and Gaza and it pains one’s heart to see the inhumanity and cruelty dished out one against the other. The lives lost and the hope cruelly removed from the lives of young children tear one apart in these days of diplomacy, information and knowledge.

What is left is a cycle of hate, bitterness and violence intermingled with a sense of desperation and meaninglessness. It is important for us to ask ourselves as to how we will act under such circumstances. Gaza seems to be a lose-lose proposition.

There is a fermentation of hate and bitterness that devalues the human spirit. The atrocities committed by both sides reveal the depth of anger and bitterness. There is no winner in such conflicts and when powers that be take sides this only worsens the conflict.

Where is the sense of humanity? Are we going to tolerate this flagrant injustice? To do so is a global failure. It is all very great for Western nations to talk about human rights and point fingers at how the Chinese treat the Uyghur but fail to recognise their immense failure when it comes to issues of the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian issue has to be considered in its widest context. It is easy to blame Hamas and Israel, but the larger responsibility lies with the international community. This festering issue over several decades reveals as none other the impotency of the United Nations and the guilt-ridden conscience of Western nations for their earlier failures and antisemitism.

National interests often dictate international responses and an immediate, short-term, knee-jerk reaction belies the grave injustice inflicted upon Palestinians by the collusion of European powers, the United Kingdom and the United States.

With elections due in the US and with the American Jewish people being in positions of power and money, there is a tendency for a president to be swayed by these considerations. One sees the double standards of President Biden. I am glad the Arab leaders are not meeting with him.

These are the nations that, through the UN, created the state of Israel in the late 1940s. Yet this has been a simmering issue since the early 19th century. Anti-semitism in Germany, the holocaust and the treatment of Jewish people in Europe all led to a deep sense of guilt within the region.

They authorised the creation of Israel in the state of Palestine. The people of Palestine were never consulted. Zionism had its friends in all these states and the collusion between France and the UK led to the unprecedented influx of Jewish people to Palestine after the creation of the state of Israel.

Then came the influx of Jewish people from all parts of Europe and Russia all wanting to be part of the new homeland of Israel. What we witness today is racism and apartheid as symbols of the state of Israel, one that is tolerated by the West.

If one were to look at a map of Palestine prior to the 1930s to present, one will only be surprised at how much land has been seized by Israel at the expense of Palestinians. All this has been achieved at the expense of Palestinians.

Despite all the protest and appeals to the UN and the several resolutions nothing has served the interest of the people of Palestine. They have been pushed continuously to a corner.

Gaza represents an open prison where the people are at the mercy of Israel. Is it surprising that groups like Hamas thrive in such a situation? It is not rocket science to deduce that in places of poverty and grave injustice, radical elements thrive. Now we have the US and Israel claiming that Hamas is like the Islamic State group.

Hamas in many ways is a creation of Israel. Israel wanted an enemy and it has one now to justify its excesses. The international community has failed Palestinians as Israel continues to take land, create colonies, build walls and bomb Palestine.

There is a need to distinguish Hamas from the people of Gaza. There is grave unemployment among the young lives in Gaza. In their hopelessness they turn to any opportunity that gives them meaning. How does one live in an open prison year in and year out?

Freedom is a deep longing in the hearts of all people everywhere and the expression of this is a reflection of the violence and desperation exhibited by radical elements of Gaza. Yet when it comes to conflict and war the price is dearly paid by the many families in Gaza – as collateral damage.

While all this time, this conflict has had a religious flavour, it continues to inflame the Middle East. Geopolitical issues continue to blur interpretations and further polarise the situation.

The fact remains there is no other example globally that can be cited where people have been driven from their land as Palestinians have. Past wrongs must be addressed or we will continue justifying what is happening in terms too simplistic.

We have to stand by Palestinians and their cause. The West needs to be educated and continuously reminded about the price being paid by Palestinians ever since Israel was formed.

The disproportionate response of Israel has to be condemned. The situation in Gaza has to be recognised. The blockade has to be removed and life and its possibilities be allowed to flourish for Palestinian. Is this too much to ask from the international community?

By its very actions and genocidal response, Israel is promoting anti-semitism and the West and the US cannot take a moral high ground in their global stance for democracy and justice. What is their cause in Ukraine and how is this different from what is happening in Palestine?

Israel must recognise its security ultimately lies in ensuring peace, justice, freedom and liberty of Palestinians. Prosper thy neighbour and ensure the universal wellbeing of both Israel and Palestine.

The alternative is a continuation of violence and bloodshed in which everyone loses. – October 18, 2023.

* K. Haridas reads The Malaysian Insight.