By Dr. Waiel Awwad
While we are still watching the horror of Israel’s war on Palestine from East Jerusalem, West Bank to the concentration camp i.e. Gaza Strip, contemporary history is written by innocent Palestinian civilian blood spilled all over the Gaza Strip, in hospitals, schools, markets, and streets, burning them alive like charcoal in an open Oven. Nowhere to hide the dead bodies scattered everywhere and the smell of death glooming all over the Gaza Strip and still counting. The world is angry, streets are burning with anger and they want an end to this genocide on the Palestinians while their leaders giving a clean chit to Israel’s occupation army to continue the assault. After 35 days of the Israel war, the Arab and Muslim nations, 57 nations in their emergency Summit in Riyadh –Saudi Arabia, failed to put enough pressure on Israel to halt this assault and on the West to stop supporting this genocide. For Tel Aviv, the bombing goes unabated till the main objective of creating an Israel state, for Jews only, in the heart of Palestine is achieved. No leader dared to tell Tel Aviv to halt this attrition and stop slaughtering the civilians in revenge for the Hamas attack on the 7th of October 2023.
The policy of annihilating the whole of Palestine was evident for decades and not a single leader wanted this to happen. Even Yitzhak Rabin, the former Prime Minister of Israel, and winner of the Nobel Prize with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for the Oslo Agreement, had to pay the price and was assassinated at the hands of a supporter of PM Netanyahu who tore the Oslo Agreement, adopted policy of suppression and oppression against the Palestinians, refused to speak to Yasser Arafat, demonized the Palestinian authority and dehumanize Palestinian people by confiscating their lands by force, builds illegal settlements on the occupied territories jailing and torturing Palestinians, while the Israeli intelligence agencies, assassinating the Palestinian leaders. There were 172 illegal Israel settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, and now it exceeded 248000 settlements. After signing the Oslo agreement 444 new settlements were built accommodating 950000 Israeli settlers. By the time the Apartheid wall was built, it was too late for the Palestinian Authority to wake up from the political tranquilizer to see the reality on the ground that the Palestinians were living in Ghettos, held hostages at the mercy of Israel army and armed settlers, trapped and subjected to daily harassments, abuses and uprooting their houses, trees and disrupting their daily movements and crossing.
Israeli leaders are responsible for establishing Hamas organization to counter the PLO but consider it a terrorist organization. After the Hamas organization won the election, Israel immediately imposed blockade on the Gaza Strip, and cut water, power, and all commodities supplies depriving the Palestinians of their basic rights. Repeatedly attacked Gaza killing and destroying properties to encourage Palestinians to flee their homeland to achieve its objective of destroying any resistance to occupation and killing any chance of establishing a Palestinian State side by side with Israel.
The fallout of Israel’s war on Palestine-“Mowing the lawn”
Before we talk about the fallout it is worth mentioning what drove Hamas into this attack on the 7th Oct…
•The expulsion of Gaza citizens goes back to 1970 -11-3 when Jordan exposed the Israeli plan.
•Repeated attacks on Gaza Strip: 2008, 2014, 2018, 2021, 2022and last July this year Israel attacked Palestinians in Khalil and killed 22 Palestinians, which led to Hamas firing rockets on Israel and Israel’s forces retaliating viciously.
•The new weak coalition in Israel –Internal difference, ultranationalist parties
•The atrocities committed against Palestinians in East Jerusalem and West Bank: regular attacks on civilian prayers in Al Aqsa mosque and violation of the sanctity of the mosque by the settlers under the protection of the Israeli army.
•Repeated attacks on Gaza Strips and continued its siege. Rise of unemployment by 70%, low income, closing all hopes of any bright future for Palestinians living under occupation.
•Abraham accord and talks of Economic Peace distancing from the Palestine cause.
•Exploration of oil and gas in the Gaza Strip denying the Palestinian any revenue
After the genocide and brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip with an increased number of causalities the immediate effect will be:
•West Bank residents: at the mercy of the Israeli army and settlers, more hatred discourse, more attacks, confiscation of their lands, and expulsion.
• Peace will be more elusive in the Middle East and it will take generations to reconcile if there is still hope for a peaceful coexistence.
• Anti -Jews waves: a vicious cycle of violence globally and conspiring terrorist acts.
• Anti-Muslim: the target is the South and Southeast Asian Muslim community.
• East Jerusalem: Al Aqsa Mosque in danger: religious dimension to the conflict.
Widening of the conflict: regional war –Costly: The global economy will be hit badly especially oil and gold prices will upsurge, especially if the carnage on Gaza continues and drags Lebanon and Iran into the war.
Two State solution –back on the table with international pressure.
• Greater Israel: a dream to be perused vigorously. This was in Gaza nothing but a continuation of an old policy of conquering the region from the Euphrates to the Nile.
The author is a Senior International journalist — www.waielawwad.com
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