Dr. Mohammad Ghitreef*
November 14, 2023, was children’s day. In this day in the prevalent Western culture fathers greet their children with lovely gifts. Mothers welcome them with celebrating spirit, passion, and love. Imagine how fathers and mothers of Gaza might have celebrated their children’s day! In the face of ugly death and cruel dismemberment of innocent bodies, fathers were bearing their loved ones (sons and daughters) dead bodies in their hands, and mothers were cryingly kissing and farewelling their babies! Sisters were hugging their martyred young brothers hoping against hope for the mujahideen to be successful.
Not very far from them in a brother Arab country; a sacred land in its capital there was an ongoing session of a celebration of dogs (مهرجان الكلاب)! Every country of the world in terms of its masses has spoken against Israeli genocide but not the Muslim sacred land! Wherein some of its clergies are trying to make their rulers(ولي امر ) deities!
Now a humanitarian truce is in place and hopefully, it is being extended too, yet emboldened by Arab apathy and Muslim betrayal of Palestine, the “pariah” Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister are threatening that they will not stop their sinister war on Gaza and their attack will be more severe and more destructive after they secured the release of their hostages. There is a criminal connivance between Israel and its brazen supporters; the US and other Western powers that there will not be a full ceasefire unless and until Hamas is gone and completely wiped out from Gaza. While Hamas and other Palestinian factions the other day on the occasion of releasing their hostages, had shown their very presence in the heart of Gaza and proved that their military capabilities remained safe and protected. Further bloodshed in Gaza could have been prevented if there had been some bold steps from Turkiye, Egypt, and others at this critical juncture.
In the event of exchanging Israeli hostages with the Palestinian prisoners the Palestinian morale was high and elated as a Palestinian prisoner woman loudly chanted a slogan:وحط
السيف قبال السيف واحنا رجال محمد ضيف (Ther sword cuts the cord and we are all men of Mohammad Zaif(referring to Mohd Zaif who is the mastermind of 7th October attack on Israel; (طوفان الاقصى ) Aqsa storm. They celebrate Mohammad Zaif, Yahya Sinwar, and Abu Ubaidah; the spokesperson of the Al-Qassam brigade. Overall, there were mixed feelings of joy and fear on the freedom from brutal Israeli dungeons and sadness to see the big size of destruction havocked by deadly Israeli air bombardment. On the other hand, Israeli hostages were brought up by covered-face Hamas fighters from Gaza to show that they are very much present there, denying and belittling the Israeli tall claims that Hamas has lost control of Gaza. Indicating that its tunnel system is also intact. Moreover, this aspect is also very significant that after all the destruction and a huge killing of civilians, innocent children and women Israel could not successfully release even a single hostage with its military might! For that, it has to negotiate with Hamas “the terrorist” indirectly!
Israel’s army is preparing to restart its air strikes and ground invasion after the humanitarian pause is over. Though some Arab diplomatic efforts are going on to prevent the onslaught further it seems very unlikely to succeed immediately, unless there is a rethinking in Israel itself or the US, in the case of the latter some signs are seen of realizing the grim situation because now world opinion is drastically against the Israel.
Moreover, America’s unyielding and shameless support for Israel is alienating the Arabs from it, and in addition, Joe Biden may face defeat in the upcoming presidential elections in the United States partly because to a good chunk of Americans, especially to the younger generation, the president has failed to deal smartly with the situation smartly in the region, and partly because Muslim voters may go against him in the decisive states.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions also have announced their preparedness for a longer war. American precedent though expressed his hope that the exchange of hostages is the first step towards a peace process. Meanwhile, the Arab foreign minister’s delegation is on a diplomatic tour to get support from world capitals to have an immediate ceasefire. They visited Beijing, Moscow, and London and now are in New York and maybe in Delhi soon. Showing a little tilt towards the Eastern powers from the West. It is a big shift in their foreign policy. The coming days will decide the positive outcome of their move in favor of Palestine.
The release of Israeli hostages by Hamas and the captive’s greeting gesture to Hamas’s escorting men and a letter written by an Israeli hostage woman with her little girl to Hamas is telling its story to the world about the nature of Hama’s so-called “terrorism” propagated by the West. The world is seeing now that they are very humane and are very different from the ISIS or Al-Qaeda. They are not a pan-Islamic force, rather they are oppressed people and freedom fighters. This explains the truth of the 7th October attack on Israel by Hamas.
Many experts say that if the world opinion was 67 percent in favor of Palestinians before the 7th October attack, now it is bordering on 95 percent in a pro-Palestine wave unprecedented in the whole history of this conflict. This major shift in world opinion is compelling the US to talk about a two-state solution and to have a ceasefire to calm down American streets.
Perhaps one of the reasons America and Israel want for Hamas to be wiped out from Gaza is that latterly it is revealed by some experts that Gaza’s coast sits on a half million cubic gas resources, the huge reservoir after Afghanistan. It is worth 4 trillion US dollars. If the reports calming this are true then how can Israel being a reliable outpost of the US cede Gaza’s rule except to PA a time-tested stooge? The PA corrupted to the core so far has been proven an obedient authority, Mahmood Abbas a bad guy in the Palestinian street yet safeguarding his master’s interests in the region.
This is why the post-Hamas scenario of Gaza is the talk of the hour in many Western talk shows. Many efforts may have been going on in this regard through back channels. On a fourth trip of Secretary of State, Antony Blinken met the Israeli prime minister perhaps for the making grounds to implement this hegemonic plan. Perhaps President Sisi, the dictator of Egypt is hinting to accept the idea when he says that a demilitarized Palestinian state may be acceptable for the time being. The Israeli attacks restarted immediately after his visit, which clearly means that he must have given a green signal to Israeli war criminals to relaunch their horrible war on Gaza.
Now Israeli government via Western media is putting this idea forth about the future of 2.5 million Gazans that if they are not leaving for Jordon or for Senai then it can give them a safe passage to stay during its aggression against Hamas into a four-mile sandy area in the southern Gaza called Al-Masari. Which is a sandy desert having some date trees. Israel first put this idea to the 18 aid work agencies and they all unanimously rejected the mischievous plan outrightly saying that they were not going to any cost to launch their aid and relief activities in this area. In fact, Israel wants a carpet bombing in southern Gaza as it did in the north to level it. It is a very dangerous and sinister plan that should be rejected forcefully by all Palestinian factions and by all neighboring Arab countries alike.
If the Arab countries and Turkiye really want to do something for the Palestinians, they must immediately take some bold steps, which should be based on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the one hand, and on the other hand, breaking all diplomatic and trade relations with Israel and further distancing themselves from the United States. Instead of always invoking the illusion of international law, the international community, and universal conscience, they have to step forward and do something.
The people of Fatah should also come openly with Hamas. National Palestinian unity is the greatest need of the hour. Hamas and the people of Gaza have already tied the shroud manly facing the mighty foe. History will record that the people of Gaza rose up when everyone abandoned them on the battlefield when their just cause demanded that they stand and make sacrifices!
- Research Associate with
Idara Tahzibul Akhlaq AMU Aligarh
He can be reached at: mohammad.ghitreef@gmail.com
Website: ffosi.org