The Palestine issue resurfaces whenever there is violence and mayhem in occupied territories. This unfortunate aspect is owing to lethargy and an adamant attitude of the international community. The killing of a 15-year old, Mahdi Hashash, as a result of an Israeli incursion in Nablus has simply once again brought to the fore the vitality and indispensability of a territorial dispute that is in need of being addressed so that millions of people under the yoke of Zionism are freed from daily psychological harassment, torture and extermination. The renewed clashes of unarmed Palestinians with the Israeli troops have come in the backdrop of religious right’s surge at polls, and is an indicator of more sabotage that is yet to come.
The visit of newly-elected MPs belonging to the right-wing parties that sealed the victory for former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu led to revulsion. As usual, Tel Aviv opted for highhandedness and the hapless and besieged Palestinians in the West Bank reacted to it. Vote in favour of the extreme-right Zionism bloc, and a surge in support for the far right under Netanyahu over centrist Yair Lapid has brought Israel to the verge of a first-ever most orthodox government in history. This could be a precursor for more bloodshed, and at the same time a threat to the region at large. But the point is that Israel gets away with anything under the guise of its electoral mandate and, at times, exhibits an episode of Nazi-ism which too rose to vandalise Europe under a centrist mandate in Germany.
The Palestinian question cannot be delayed any further. The war in Ukraine and the restlessness of Europe to protect itself from Russian encroachment westwards has some parallels to learn. The Arabs too are scared of Israeli lebensraum, and have made life miserable for not only stateless Palestinians but also the entire Middle East. The Two-State Solution is in need of walking the talk, and the US which is on a slippery mode as realpolitik shifts to bipolarity can do a better job to its waning leadership by resolving the imbroglio. Morally too it is indebted to do it for decades.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 10th, 2022.
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