Israel’s arrogance of power

Bodies lie mutilated, the remnants of human flesh scattered across the ground. Blood seeps through the rubble. The cries of Gaza’s children for justice and mercy expose what power without conscience truly looks like. Humanity has vanished; compassion lies buried beneath the debris of ambition. The world’s moral face spins wildly, unable to point towards justice. History, however, never loses its direction. It records, without mercy, the rise and fall of those who mistake power for permanence.

Israel’s actions in Gaza stand as proof of this truth. The target bombing of homes, hospitals and schools is not an act of defence but an exercise in impunity. Families have been uprooted, children buried beneath the ruins, and public infrastructure destroyed in what can only be described as collective punishment. These are not merely moral transgressions; they are clear violations of international law.

Beyond Gaza, Israel’s expanding footprint across the region points to a pattern of aggression that extends far beyond its borders. Its target attacks in Lebanon, which killed key figures, and its covert involvement in Yemen and Qatar expose an appetite for regional dominance. The calculated confrontation with Iran — through sabotage, assassinations and cyberattacks — shows the arrogance of a state convinced of its impunity. History has witnessed that such unchecked power often leads to eventual undoing.

Israel’s military and technological superiority has created an illusion of invincibility. But history’s verdict is consistent: power built on injustice is unsustainable. Every empire that believed itself beyond reproach — from the British in India to apartheid South Africa — discovered the same truth. The present’s might is rarely the future’s guarantee.

Happening even today, the inhuman casualties and deaths of thousands of innocent Muslims stem from the silence of the wider Muslim community. What is equally troubling is the paralysis that grips the Muslim world. Decades of division, political dependence and internal rivalries have rendered it incapable of unified action. The routine expressions of sympathy and statements of solidarity have become substitutes for meaningful strategy, while conferences and summits too often end in hollow declarations.

The moral outrage that should have transformed into coordinated diplomatic, economic or humanitarian action remains confined to rhetoric. This inertia has created a vacuum of leadership at a time when decisive moral courage is needed most. As Israel’s aggression continues unchecked, the disunity of Muslim nations stands as one of the greatest tragedies of the modern Islamic world — a silence that history will remember not kindly, but sorrowfully.

Pakistan, meanwhile, condemns the aggression. This stance carries increasing risks. Western narratives describe Pakistan’s nuclear capability as a potential threat, even though its nuclear doctrine is defensive, reserving the right to respond when its survival is at stake. The subtext is clear: countries that resist the push for normalisation may face mounting diplomatic pressure. The question remains whether the Muslim world will unite or continue to watch, divided, as events unfold.

One must learn from history. The colonial powers of the past believed their dominance was eternal, only to find it crumble under the weight of their contradictions. Muslim civilisation, too, once led the world in knowledge, art and science, until arrogance and complacency dimmed that light. Bertrand Russell once wrote that the East’s intellectual flame illuminated a darkened West. The lesson is clear: moral decay precedes political decline.

Gaza today is not just a battleground — it is a mirror. It exposes the failure of the international order, the hypocrisy of global powers, and the disunity of those who claim to defend justice. Every bomb that falls there erodes what remains of the world’s moral authority.

In the end, Israel’s real challenge is not military — it is moral. Power can destroy cities, but cannot secure legitimacy. It can silence dissent but cannot erase history. The might of today may silence critics, but it cannot outlast the truth. Power without justice is not strength – it is decay in disguise.

The writer is an assistant professor. Email him at [e-mail]