In its thoughtful view on the predicament of Palestinians, the European Union has acknowledged the obvious. The 27-member bloc has demanded an impartial investigation into the ongoing murdering and maiming of stateless people in the heart of the Middle East by Zionist forces.
According to the EU’s own observations, 140 Palestinians were killed in 2022, making it one of the worst years since 2006. This could be only the tip of the iceberg, as Israeli forces are involved in a state-sponsored agreement to eliminate Palestinians in the occupied territories. The current increase in violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is a major source of concern.
The EU’s Twitter account went on to show that Israeli forces looked to be using excessive fatal force. More than ten Palestinians were killed by trigger-happy soldiers last week. This has been routine in recent years, owing to the lack of a mechanism to hold Israel accountable for human rights violations. Gaza is a monument to widespread abuses, with over 2 million people under siege. It is the world’s largest landlocked prison, and it has been subjected to the most severe airstrikes and sanctions for decades.
Such a dreadful scenario necessitates the unavoidable need to find a permanent settlement to Palestine’s territorial conflict. The international society, particularly the democracy-preaching West, has failed in the Middle East and is directly accountable for Israel’s incarceration horror. It is pointless to keep repeating that the conflict must be resolved because it affects global peace and security.
The canons of actual politics, on the other hand, have always viewed the issue through a different lens, which has been compartmentalised and labelled as a Muslim revulsion and a terror movement. This is disrespectful to egalitarian norms and Westphalian statehood ideas. The EU can turn a new leaf by taking the lead in delivering justice.
Meanwhile, the development of new armed groups reflects the failure of the Arab-Israeli peace process. Indeed, many younger Palestinians, who have seen no gains from negotiations and have seen firsthand the violent might of Israel’s invaders, refer to their aged leadership as “collaborators” of Tel Aviv.
It is instructive that young Arabs are willing to abandon established Palestinian parties in order to confront the occupation directly. When talks with Israel have resulted in nothing but more illegal settlements and bodies to bury, stronger opposition is inevitable.
Unfortunately, the international community, which has shed tears over Russia’s occupation of Ukraine, has failed to express comparable remorse over Israel’s over five-decade-long occupation of the Palestinian territories.
While the vast majority of Arab and Muslim republics’ collective consciousness vanished a long time ago, while Palestinians valiantly face Israeli brutality, the OIC and Arab League do little more than issue statements. Those Arab regimes that have just recently made their alliance with Israeli public have done little to persuade Tel Aviv to stop the slaughter.
The targeting of civilians in any location is unacceptable. However, Israel has been murdering noncombatants for decades and has gotten away with it thanks to its powerful backers. Will the international community intervene to put a stop to this mass murder?
