The Israeli government has approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposal for the “full occupation of the Gaza Strip.”
The real reason for the decision is that Netanyahu’s government is not pursuing any achievable political goal through military operations or negotiations. Rather, its aim is to reach the “final solution” that the Nazis applied to the Jews (as well as to other groups such as the Roma, Black people, Poles, people with disabilities, and even rebellious Germans) during the World War II: total extermination and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians.
History’s equation has been overturned: the descendants of Holocaust victims have become today’s racists, relishing the role of Nazi executioners, while the Palestinians, the indigenous inhabitants of this afflicted land, have taken on the role of victims whom the machinery of killing, burning, and starvation seeks to erase from existence. British Jewish actress Miriam Margolyes expressed this with striking eloquence when she said: “It seems that Hitler has won. He has turned us into a chauvinistic, savage nation committing genocide and killing women and children,” calling “in the name of humanity” on all Jews to raise their voices.
According to a recent poll, a significant proportion of Israelis (57% according to the Lazar Institute) support concluding a “comprehensive deal” to release the captives, even if it means stopping the war. It can of course be assumed that the reason for this notable percentage is sympathy for the captives rather than for the people of Gaza. Yet another indication comes from the fact that 2,000 Israeli artists and intellectuals signed a petition calling for an end to the war “and the atrocities in Gaza.” According to them, there should be no acceptance of “the killing of children and non-combatants, the starvation and displacement of residents, and the destruction of Gaza’s cities.”
Some statements issued by both Arab and international bodies picked up on the humanitarian aspect. The Saudi Foreign Ministry statement spoke of “Israel’s persistence in committing crimes of starvation, barbaric practices, and ethnic cleansing,” condemning “the inhuman ideas and decisions adopted by the occupation authorities without restraint.” Belgium issued a clear condemnation of the decision, summoned the Israeli ambassador, and Sweden pointed to “violations of international law.” Jordan spoke of “serious breaches of international law and international humanitarian law,” in language close to that of Kuwait, Egypt, and the Arab League.
Other officials limited their remarks to calling the decision “wrong” (UK Prime Minister), “completely unacceptable” (Scottish First Minister), “leading to more destruction and suffering” (Spanish Foreign Minister), and “a step in the wrong direction” (Russia). The surprise position came from Germany, a close ally of Israel, which announced it would stop exporting weapons that could be used in the war on Gaza.
On the other side of the “bank of humanity” stands Netanyahu, who has received a “green light” from US President Donald Trump, and the intoxicated sense of Israeli power whose reach extends across Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran. There also stand his cabinet ministers, who have persistently defied global laws and norms by openly making statements advocating extermination – the most recent being from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who, when asked about funding the occupation of Gaza, replied: “The Gazans in the Strip don’t matter to me. What matters to me is victory and the eradication of Hamas.”
On this same side stand the Western countries, which – despite recent shifts in their political stances toward Netanyahu’s government – have not stopped supplying Israel with weapons, have not imposed economic boycotts, and have even leased aircraft to participate in spying on Palestinians, as Britain has done. Britain has also banned the “Palestine Action” organisation and summoned numerous mosque imams for questioning over their criticism of Israel. Britain’s example could be applied to many other Western countries as well.
[Al Quds Al Arabi]
Compiled and translated by Faizul Haque
