When civilians and children killed in Gaza, can nations close their eyes?
The death toll keeps rising and has gone up to 119, among that 29 children, perhaps more have been tragically killed. It is stunning that a full-fledged war is raging amid the storm of COVID, hitting civilians, killing children, and while the battle is said to be against Hamas, fatalities rise among civilians striking children as well.
Presently, Israel threatens with a ground invasion. The decades-old Israel-Palestine conflict has flared up yet again with two sides launching air attacks at each other. As hostilities enter the fifth day, with no sign of abating, the death toll is on a constant rise. According to the latest government figures, 109 Palestinians– including 29 Palestinian children — have been killed in airstrikes in the last four days, while 7 Israelis died.
Reports of violent disputes between Jewish Israelis and Palestinian citizens of Israel in several cities of Israel have also erupted.
This is the background to this battle:
Sheikh Jarrah is an east Jerusalem neighborhood hitting headlines. There is a long-running legal case involving the homes of 4 Palestinian families on land claimed by Jewish Israelis, placed to be heard by Israel’s Supreme Court on Monday.
A small Jewish community lived in the area before 1948 when East Jerusalem fell under Jordanian control. It holds significance for Jews because it is home to a shrine revered as the final resting place of Shimon Hatzadik, a 3rd century BCE high priest.
The 4 Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah may be removed from their homes if the Israeli Supreme Court turns down their appeal against a pending eviction. Several attempts at mediation have collapsed.
Tensions in Jerusalem, specifically in the Old City, erupted over last month after police prevented Palestinians from gathering outside Damascus Gate at the start of Ramadan. Arabs called this inflammatory and Israeli authorities canceled the policy.
A group of Palestinians filmed videos in which they attacked ultra-Orthodox pedestrians. In response, the Jewish supremacist Lehava group marched through Jerusalem’s calling for “Death to Arabs.” This was broadly denounced by Israelis sources say.
Tensions and violence continued to rise. This past week, an Israeli teen was gunned down as he stood at a bus terminal and 3 days later a Palestinian teen was shot by Israeli soldiers as they searched for the shooter.
All this lead to violence to the Temple Mount and al-Aqsa Mosque when hundreds of Palestinian rioters threw rocks and other objects at Israeli policemen. At night, Palestinians stood in front of Al Aqsa chanting, “bomb bomb Tel Aviv”.
On Monday between Palestinians and Israeli police, and police fired stun grenades inside the Al-Aqsa mosque, one of the holiest sites in Islam, and demonstrators threw stones at the police. Hundreds of Palestinians and around 30 police were injured, according to reports. The situation escalated further as Hamas fired rockets towards Jerusalem before Israel launched its own airstrikes against what it said was militant targets in the Gaza Strip
The violence has now was noticed by the United Nations, the European Union, US lawmakers, and even some celebrities and people who took sides condemning Israel and Palestine.
It must be remembered that this is not a “football match” between Israel and Palestine and people and nations are not here in the world to just cheer on either side. This is a real battle where families, children, mothers, fathers will die. While egos flame to prove their points, in the end, millions will suffer and die. As a mark of responsibility and conscience, all the nations have to work to stop the war crimes.
The United Nations and even the United States and the United Kingdom and nations that were already heavily deeply involved in the Middle East cannot wash off their hands and close their eyes while civilians and children are being killed.
Over centuries, wars were fought and even “won” but the scars of wars remain etched in human hearts through generations, and erupt through each generation so the vicious cycle of revenge never ends.
Nations have failed miserably in this regard because powerful countries used countries for their gain, egged on the wars, and then conveniently kept silent or supported one over the other. This seems to be what is happening today. The globe is fighting against COVID and should try to alleviate all tensions.
It is notable that the government of Israel decided to hold a long-running legal case hearing involving the homes of 4 Palestinian families just before Muslims’ Eid, a very sensitive case just at the eve of Eid.
It is strange too that on Eid, Israel and Palestine were fighting while the world was forced to take sides. People who took a stand were abused by others and were even blocked and vilified for speaking for peace or even if one condemned the killing of children, there were violent reactions from some. It appeared many people did not want to acknowledge a terrible act of inhumanity in killing civilians and children was going on.
It would be imperative that the United Nations and the United States and all the nations stop watching and start acting and stop atrocities and more deaths rising. A lot started because nations started the fire and they need to take the onus and stop it.
Another thing, politicized religion is toxic for the world, it has to stop because in the name of religion and God, the bloodiest wars have been fought and it is not God’s fault but the greed of humanity. Did God tell humans to kill each other, does the conscience sleep when people kill? It is now an issue of conscience, an inborn gift to each human but seems to be dead in most.
There is enough space, ground, area in the world for all people to live together peacefully and if they did, everyone on the globe including themselves would reap the blessing and harvest. The crux of the matter is when civilians and children are killed in Gaza, can nations close their eyes? Is it really a war against Hamas or is it just hatred that is polarizing the world in unbelievable proportions?
The airstrikes from Israel seem to be targeting mostly Palestinian civilians and tragic that children were killed and it is terrible that the world remains numb in the face of this atrocity.
“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.” Dwight Eisenhower. (American military officer and politician who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961)
“I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its futility, its stupidity.” Dwight Eisenhower. (American military officer and politician who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961)
The views and opinions expressed in this article are personal and those of the author.