THE latest massacre of the Palestinians by Israel has woken up a sleeping giant. In more than 300 cities in the US, demonstrations have been organised to show the world Americans are not on the same page as their government.

They have realised their government has been used by a small foreign power to conquer and colonise the Middle East. A popular move by western powers historically to plunder natural resources from the rest of the world. Someone said, “They invented trains to assist plundering by railroad robber barons with the notion that steel and steam can master a continent, no matter who or what was in the way”.

The West cannot afford to do it now because they have been telling the world how noble they are by defending democracy, human rights, environmental protection and what have you. They need a proxy to plunder the natural resources available in the Middle East.

At least 4.5-4.7 million people, including many civilians, have died in post-9/11 wars in war zones, and counting. War refugees and displaced persons number about 38 million. The number of people who have been wounded or have fallen ill as a result of these conflicts is far higher. At least four times as many active duty personnel and war veterans of post-9/11 conflicts have died of suicide rather than in combat.

Thousands of US service members including Allied forces have died, as have thousands of civilian contractors and many of them have been wounded and are living with disabilities and war-related illnesses.

The US price tag for post-9/11 wars is over US$8 (RM27.7) trillion. Somebody has to pay for this! This excludes direct aid to Israel.

Don’t forget Vietnam, the Conflict Extract Data File of the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) cites 58,220 US military fatalities in that war.

The US government is conducting counter-terror activities in 85 countries. Remember the scam about “weapons of mass destruction”?

These wars have been accompanied by violations of human rights and civil liberties and the US keeps vetoing any UN Resolution condemning Israel.

The West could have pursued non-military alternatives which is less costly, especially in human lives. There have been accords after accords but they are only eye-wash and the world is watching.

The need to take revenge and short-sightedness of the West is very evident and it is now grappling with the aftermath of its own wrongdoings.

The groups they supported have been going against them and they now call them “terrorists”.
Who is really the ‘mother of all terrorists’ for the last few hundred years?

Americans now are well-informed. The US has the best universities, good brains and big multi-national companies so why are they fighting around the world and spending trillions of dollars? Can’t the best universities and best brains advise the government and why are the multi-nationals not worried of the economic consequences? Or is there a puppeteer hidden from the audience that controls the government?

One of the Abrahamic commandments prohibits murder (Exodus 20:13). Why is murder wrong, other than its obvious conflict with love of neighbour (Leviticus 19:17-18, 33-34)?

Religion has often nurtured people of extraordinary kindness and courageous commitment to justice. This contrasts the deep hatred that has inspired the acceptance of loss of millions of lives in the Middle East?

The mass murder of thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza does not reconcile with human rights, or is there another definition for human rights.

My salute to Americans and God bless. You have the power to show that democracy really works in the US and we are with you. – November 12, 2023.

What say you…

* Saleh Mohammed reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.