The Double Standards of Western Powers and Their Role in Palestinian Suffering
- Prolonged Conflict and Factionalism: The Israel-Palestine conflict, spanning over seven decades, involves territorial disputes and ideological differences, with Palestinians represented by fragmented factions like Hamas and the PLO, weakening their unified resistance.
- Western Hypocrisy and Support for Israel: Western countries provide military aid and financial backing to Israel, enabling its aggression against Palestinians while exhibiting selective enforcement of international laws and human rights standards.
- Inaction of the OIC and Muslim World: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the broader Muslim community have failed to take robust measures against Israel's crimes, leaving Palestinians without adequate international support or effective advocacy.
The war between Israel and Palestine over territory has made factions of different countries around the globe. Some countries stand against the Zionist regime as an impregnable wall. The same is the case with Palestine, but with some loopholes, or you can say a structurally compromised wall. The seven decades of fighting between the archrivals have resulted in nothing but only a bloodbath.
Currently, the State of Palestine doesn’t have any military. However, it has Palestinian Security Services to counter the IDF, which is far from a match. Palestinians are controlled by multiple factions, such as Hamas, a militant outfit in Gaza City (which calls itself a resistance group), and the PLO—the Palestine Liberation Organization in the West Bank, which identifies itself as the true representative of the Palestinian people. Both Hamas and the PLO differ in many ways. On the one hand, the PLO talks about self-determination, Palestinian nationalism, and the establishment of the State of Palestine. On the other, Hamas calls for the destruction and annihilation of Israel. Some critics argue Hamas’ ideology deeply adheres to radicalization, representing the obnoxious and controversial side of Islam.
In the past, the United Nations offered a two-state solution to make a peace deal with both nations. However, it was rejected by the Palestinians, which, according to them, was an injustice to them as they considered themselves as native heirs of the land, which indeed they are. Moreover, many of the Muslim nations recognize Israel as a sovereign nation, creating a problematic scenario in the international Muslim world. Israel occupies around 70 percent of Palestinian land right now, openly nullifying the United Nations Resolution 181 and the Oslo Accords.
In an interview, Israeli historian and author Yuval Noah Harari stressed that there is enough food in the territory to feed the entire region and sufficient territory to build houses for both the Palestinians and the Israelis. It’s another side of the coin that the hypocrisy of Western countries is largely seen supporting the genocidal acts of the Zionist regime rather than coming up with an agenda of stopping war crimes.
Moreover, for Western countries, pervasive military support and the decades of horrendous crimes by Israel on Palestinian land are not just enough. Western backers of Israel continue their problematic and inhumane support by providing Israel with the latest weaponry and unconditional financial aid to carry on its deadly campaign against the innocent people of Gaza. This support only makes the Zionist regime more and more fascist, resulting in mutilated babies, disfigured people, and deliberate mass displacement.
Supporting the Palestinian cause doesn’t mean standing for Hamas’ crimes and atrocities against ordinary Jewish people and foreigners in the incident of October 7th. It is a matter of serious attention. Heinous crimes are committed by the Zionist regime daily, yet the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Criminal Court (ICC), and Western nations are wordless. On 26 January, the ICJ issued a decision to stop Israel’s crimes against the people of Gaza, but it seems Israel does not care. The Israeli PM even said the ICC’s ruling would not affect Israel’s actions. Moreover, if Israel does not comply with international laws, then how does the international community expect other countries to heed instructions mandated under international law? But the scenario for others appears different.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine led to the sanctioning of Moscow by Western allies. However, Tel Aviv’s bombardments on vulnerable Gazans seem to have not awakened hypocritical Western countries. Palestinians are the people who have strongly resisted diaspora from their homeland after the Nakba, which led to mass displacement and destruction. Their bravado symbolizes hope for many struggling for their freedom against oppression, injustice, and subjugation.
The numbness of the OIC and Islamic community around the globe has created mind-boggling situations for Palestinians. The OIC was formed in the past to represent the Muslim world collectively at international forums while advocating for the cause of Muslims. However, it seems startling and flabbergasting that the OIC is unable to counter the Zionist regime for its horrendous crimes on Palestinian land. Once considered a beacon and bastion of hope, it is now tacit, scattered, and conflated in front of the Zionist ghettos. The petulant state of Israel is laughing in the face of the OIC and the Muslim world at large.
The apartheid of the Palestinians has been ongoing since the inception of the Zionist state in 1948, and what role the OIC has been playing since then is minimal and disappointing for both Palestinians and the Muslim community as well. The resonance of the Palestinians witnessing the crimes of the Zionist regime is enough for the OIC to take crucial steps toward peace and security for Palestinians. Emboldening the Palestinian people is the responsibility of the OIC.
The congregation of the Muslim community, especially the OIC, in the plight of Israeli aggression is pivotal for the integration of Palestinians into their land. The censuring and hollow rhetoric of the chosen representatives of the Muslim world is not the only way they can oust Israeli aggression and crimes against the Palestinians. Robust and punitive measures should be taken by the Islamic world to deter any petulant state from undermining the Muslim community’s ubiquitous and formidable realm.
Moreover, the international community also has a role to play in subjugating Israel to bow to international orders for which it is a signatory. Israel should be held accountable for its crime against humanity and the nullification of international orders. The Western community must be impartial in the case of Palestine, and if not, they must stop lecturing other nations about human rights violations. Allama Iqbal best describes the nature of Western countries in his poem Zarb-i-Kaleem: Teri dava na Geneva mein hai na London mein, Farang ki rag-i-jaan panja-i-yahood mein hai.
“Your remedy is neither at Geneva nor at London because the veins of the West are in the clutches of Jews.”
The author is a student of Media and Communication Studies at the National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad.
