Commentary 23/12/14 World must heed the call for a ceasefire in Gaza

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World must heed the call for a ceasefire in Gaza 

An Israeli helmet and ammunition are seen as soldiers prepare to go to the Gaza Strip, near the border area in southern Israel on Dec. 13 amid ongoing battles with the Palestinian Hamas movement. Israel was facing mounting international pressure over its war in Gaza, with even key backer the United States criticizing the 'indiscriminate' bombing. (Photo: AFP)

Published: December 14, 2023 04:20 AM GMT 

The two-nation solution is seemingly the only feasible way to end the Israel-Palestine conflict

The massive ongoing invasion by Israel of the Gaza Strip and its blockade of humanitarian aid to 2.2 million Palestinian civilians has deprived them of the means of survival and forced them to live in drastic subhuman conditions.

The bombing has destroyed their homes and livelihoods in Northern Gaza in the past two months. They have been ordered to evacuate to the South of Gaza where the bombing continues unabated.

An estimated 1.5 million are confined there to a small section of land without shelter, water, sanitation, food, or medical help. Sickness is spreading.

"Palestinians have never been allowed to form an independent nation-state of their own"

Everyone acknowledges that Israel has a right to defend itself, but killing 7,000 women and children is not self-defence. It is a far worse crime against humanity than what Hamas did. Cutting off humanitarian aid is to force Hamas to release more hostages.

Millions of Palestinians were driven out of their homeland in 1948 by armed Israeli settlers from Europe who came after WWII. They have been confined in the West Bank and Gaza and in refugee camps in Lebanon.

Described by commentators as “open-air prisons,” these areas have been occupied by Israeli troops ever since and the Palestinians have never been allowed to form an independent nation-state of their own.

A two-nation solution has been backed internationally for many years. That is something right-wing Israelis do not want. What they want is to be rid of the Palestinians and take all the land of Palestine for themselves as seen in the continuing violent attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Huge, kilometre-long walls seal the Palestinians off from their ancestral homelands that now make up the State of Israel, which is presently ruled by the extremist right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy Hamas.

He is no saint or savior of Israel. He will be facing an upcoming trial accused of past crimes of bribery, breach of trust, and fraud. He hopes to remain in power by waging war and staying out of jail.

Netanyahu is detested by moderate Israelis who demonstrated for months against his plan to pass laws to reduce the power and authority of the Israeli Supreme Court as a way to save his skin.

However, his political and personal future is facing a grim challenge since the tragedy of the Hamas attack happened on his watch, a serious failure of intelligence in defending Israel.

Hamas had practiced and rehearsed their attack “hidden in plain sight” in Northern Gaza for two years and were ignored by Israeli intelligence. They united and trained the Islamic Jihad groups in Gaza for the coordinated attack on Israel.

"President Joe Biden's support for the military action by Israel is linked to his prospects of re-election next year"

Media reports say outsiders had known of the pending attack because there was a rush of short selling on the stock market of Israeli shares days before the attack. They knew what Netanyahu did not and should have. Now he hopes his war will end the threat and redeem himself.

Despite previous attacks in the past, they were not wiped out by Israel and left in power, a useful tool for Israel. Hamas would never negotiate a two-nation solution and that is just fine with Netanyahu and his right-wing Zionists that don’t want it either.

The latest plan by Netanyahu seems to be to divide Gaza, occupy the northern half, and possibly build a bigger wall to contain and imprison the 2.2 million Palestinians. The United States is against it and Turkey, too. So, who will rule in Gaza after the war? No one knows.

The two-nation theory is seemingly the only feasible, long-term solution for these implacable enemies. World opinion is apparently turning against Israel. The latest bill in the US Congress to give more billions to Israel and Ukraine is blocked by Republicans.

President Joe Biden's support for the military action by Israel is linked to his prospects of re-election next year. He will be looking for the US Jewish communities’ donation money. He may also be mindful of the votes of the US Evangelical Christians.

Christians United for Israel claim to be 10 million strong and believe that the State of Israel has to be fully established before the Second Coming of Christ. They had voted for Donald Trump.

Most European countries are still burdened with guilt for allowing or supporting the Holocaust when Hitler and his SS massacred six million Jews. The German nation is totally in support of Israel. Chancellor Olaf Scholz told the Bundestag, “At this moment, there is only one place for Germany. That is the side of Israel.”

Ireland is outspoken on behalf of the Palestinians and voted to fly the Palestinian flag for seven days over Dublin City Hall in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter last Wednesday. This is an official warning to the Security Council that there is a wider global threat because of the war on Gaza. He has called for an immediate cease-fire for humanitarian reasons. The Security Council has not called for a cease-fire and motions have been vetoed.

The needs of the people in Gaza are dire and he said, “We are simply unable to meet those in need inside Gaza. The entire humanitarian system is on the edge of total breakdown. Such an outcome must be avoided at all costs.”

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.