Gazans need assistance

Social media posts and protest rallies are popular, but they cannot effect change due to their largely passive nature

Eighty per cent of Gazans depend on international humanitarian aid and in contrast, the finding that the ability of aid to reach Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank is becoming more fickle is demonstrative of the world community’s failure to make a dent of an impact towards alleviating the protracted conflict. Social media posts and protest rallies have popularised in recent times, but they cannot effect change due to their largely passive nature — we have experienced this phenomenon plenty living in Pakistan with our own problems. World powers, although they have often decried Israel’s treatment towards the people of the land, have been unsuccessful and need to execute a different strategy to end Israel’s hegemony over Gaza.

Chapters on the Israel-Palestine conflict have secured permanent sections in textbooks. Both previous and current generations have learned about the topic, meaning that the conflict which has spanned too many decades, initially gaining momentum in the 20^th century, needs to see an end soon. In addition to the thousands of civilians that have been killed due to Israeli armed forces and Hamas, more are doomed simply due to malnutrition. Israel’s expanding occupation will introduce other difficulties as well, such as attracting medical attention.

The UN needs to take a more aggressive stance against the oppression of the Palestinian people and the bulldozing of their homes. We have easily forgotten the names of victims and activists like Rachel Corrie, who was heartlessly killed while trying to prevent an Israeli army bulldozer from razing Palestinian homes to the ground, under the pretext of demolishing tunnels whereby weapons were transported by Palestinians. It is devastating that a drastic 38 per cent decline in aid to Palestinian authorities was recorded between 2014 and 2016 while the conflict only appears to be escalating within the last decade. A more effective strategy needs to be employed as the Palestinians cannot live as an oppressed people forever.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2017.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.