17 days have passed since Israel renewed their war on the Gaza Strip after an unparalleled attack by Hamas on Oct 7. Israeli forces have already taken the lives of around 5,000 Palestinians including thousands of children and women. Israel even stopped supply of food, water, medicine, fuel etc. and after 15 days, only thirty seven trucks were allowed to enter Gaza with aid. The UN described this aid as a drop of water against the need of an ocean as Gaza needs around 100 trucks of supply everyday. Meanwhile, a proposed UN Security Council resolution, that would have condemned Hamas' attack on Israel while calling for a pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian assistance into Gaza, authored by Brazil, was vetoed by the United States as the only country.
The US and its allies like the UK are criticizing the Hamas attack on Israel and using that to justify the Israeli inhumane attack on the Gaza strip. But while we firmly condemn the Hamas attack on the Israeli civilians, there remains a reason for the attack of the Hamas and the root cause of such act lies with the activities of the Israeli forces over the decades.
Israel violated the demarcation of their state agreed in 1948 and continuously remained hostile on the Palestinians while increasing their area. After the war in 1967, the Israeli forces till date conducted severe oppression over the Palestinians by killing, injuring, displacing them. From 1948 till now, more than 75,000 Palestinians were killed, millions were injured and more the 2 million Palestinians were displaced by the Israeli forces. Israel kept the area allotted to it by the Partition Plan in 1948 and later captured more than 60% of the area allotted to Palestine throughout these years. Hence, Israel never really stopped the war and the current war did not start after the Hamas attack on Oct 7. Rather it is ongoing since 1967 and the Oct 7 Hamas attack is just a response to the atrocities of the Israeli forces.
Notably, the Hamas attack on Israel killed 1,400 people among which around 400 were military personnel. Several Israeli military personnel are among the 200 abducted by Hamas as the group actually targeted the Israeli forces. But, unfortunately, Israel could not claim how many Hamas members were among the 5,000 killed by the Israeli forces as they are not having a plan to spare the civilians of Gaza. Hence, the Israeli actions are much brutal in comparison. Moreover, there are around 50,000 pregnant women, huge number of children,kidney and liver patients, cancer patientsand many older people,who cannot even run for their lives and are in grave danger.
Israel has captured most of the Palestinian lands over the decades and still expanding. According to political science, any state needs a defined geographical boundary to become eligible to be called a state and Israel is not even a state as per the definition. They are an occupying force from the very beginning. Moreover, there are 73% Jews, 18% Muslims, 2% Christians and 6% from other religions inside Israeli boundary. But, there are no human rights for the people other than the Jews in Israel. A state is supposed to ensure and protect the basic rights of all its citizens and to allow equal rights to everyone. So, from this perspective too, Israel is a failed state.
The Israeli forces used the religion of Judaism as their shield. The actions of the Israeli forces are fiercer than that of brutal rulers like; Firaun, Namrud and even modern era's Hitler or Mussolini. But even the Jews from all around the world are protesting the Israeli attack on the citizens of Gaza and the US authority arrested more than 500 Jews for protesting against the Israeli acts in the US.
The US and Israel is defining Hamas as a terrorist organization for years. But it is actually a political and military organization which upholds the ideology of Palestinian nationalism. Hamas is also the ruling party of Gaza. Groups like Hamas in the Middle East, the Arakan Army in Myanmar etc. are not terrorist groups rather they are fighting for the freedom and rights of their people with defined ideologies in their own territory. On the other hand, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Red Brigades etc. are examples of terrorist groups as they are operating with their terrorist activities at different parts of the world and has no specific people-oriented goals.
There are more than 65 countries including Bangladesh, which received independence through war or revolution and all these countries' movement for independence can be termed as act of terrorism in the oppressors' eyes. Hamas is also fighting to retain the land which belongs to the Palestinians and also to retain the rights of the people during a decades-long war.
In addition to financial and military aid, the United States used its UNSC veto power 42 times against resolutions condemning Israel, out of a total 83 times in which its veto has ever been used. The US remained as Israel's protector as it actually has plans with Israel to control or to create chaosthe Middle East.
Israel has actually no state character. The British failed to satisfy Israel in 1948 by assigning their area though supported them over the decades. The US and the UK should take attempts to bring it back to a state character rather than supporting their vicious activities. Otherwise, they will move towards WWIII for the very similar reasons over which WWII was fought.
Today, the world is digital and everyone all around the world has access to information. Unlike WWI or WWII, the West or Israel today cannot hide their atrocities. Hence, people from all religions including the non-believers are protesting the acts of Israel in many countries around the world. Even the Jews are protesting and feeling ashamed as they are rightly protesting under the slogan "not in our name".
From the reactions of the US and Israel, it seems they were pre-aware of the attack of Hamas as Israel declared the war against Hamas just a day later and the US sent their first aircraft carrier within three days and the second one within eight days as if they were ready for the journey. For its own interest, the US demolished many countries of the world like; Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Laos, Mali etc. as they invaded 68 countries since 1776 showing different causes. Their actions have taken lives of millions. Both the US President Joe Biden and the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahueven committed to change the Middle East.Now, US administration has declared to send heavy military and defense aid to Israel to make the situation worse for the Palestine while Israel is not only bombing at Gaza but also at the bordering areas of Lebanon and Syria.
The UNSC veto power remains the greatest threat to humanity especially when it is possessed by a country like the US. Russia has used this power for the most 121 times, the UK 29 times, China 17 times and France 16 times. But the veto power was most lethally used by the US. Hence, it is a question if this veto power should remain in the hands of countries like the US, which kills humanity through this power as well as make the UN the lamest organization of the world.
Moreover, it is unfortunate that, more than 50 out of top 100 universities are jointly located in the US and the UK. They are producing so many scholars and intellectuals while establishing the rule of jungle all around the world devastating civilization. Due to them, there is no set definition of human rights, freedom of expression or rule of law in today's world as it seems these terms only justifies only when someone's interest is being served.
It is time that the US authority realizes that not even their own people support the brutality they are conducting or supporting throughout the decades. Their actions are creating global hatred for them. We hope, the UN will someday change its policy with the veto power and the US will realize, not only their allies but also everyone in this world has rights.
The writer is Chief Editor at Mohammadi News Agency (MNA) and Editor at Kishore Bangla
