Naveed Miraj
Israel’s hostilities against innocent and armless Palestinians continue incessantly and with complete impunity. It appears the Israeli forces have been given the license to kill as many Palestinians as they like with no accountability for their brazen acts.
The most recent terror has been seen in the occupied West Bank City of Nablus, where at least ten Palestinians were killed while dozens of others were wounded.
The number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the start of 2023 has now increased to 61 people, including 13 children, in the occupied territories. Each passing year proves deadlier for the Palestinians than the previous one.
Israeli actions against Palestinian Authority
Apart from this continuing killing spree, Israeli officials have of late also taken a series of punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority, which rules over limited pockets of the occupied West Bank, in response to efforts to push for a criminal case against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) along with a number of other reasons.
The Zionist government is also ruthlessly pursuing the policy of land confiscation, demolition of Palestinian homes, and illegal construction of settlements in the occupied territories. The Israeli cabinet recently announced the legalization of nine settlements in the West Bank.
International law explicitly prohibits occupying powers from transferring their civilian population into occupied territories. Doing so, in fact, amounts to a war crime. The regrettable part is that nobody dares to call a spade and spade out of political and economic expediency and also because of the backing enjoyed by the Zionist state from the United States.
US backing of Israeli regime forces UN resolution to be diluted
The UN Security Council was all set to vote on a recent resolution to condemn the Israeli settlement plan, but it could not do so, apparently because of US pressure. Instead, the UNSC opted for a diluted statement expressing only concerns over the Israeli settlements.
This is nothing but a slap on the face of so-called champions of human rights, which have always acted as silent spectators on the plight of poor Palestinians. It will be better for these countries to stop raising their voice for fundamental rights if they cannot ensure their applicability in a universal manner. A selective approach to human rights will not serve the purpose of making this world an abode of peace and security.
The ongoing Israeli atrocities and expansion of settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories will not only increase the tension and violence in the days ahead but will also imperil the viability of the two-state solution based on the 1967 lines. Though nothing good can be expected from the Zionist government, the fact is that direct negotiations between the two parties are the only way forward for a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace in the Middle East.
For this to happen, Washington and some other important capitals will have to play the role of an honest broker to take this lingering conflict to a permanent solution where both Palestinians and Israelis can live in peace. Additionally, those who have perpetrated crimes against Palestinians must be tried for war crimes. It is also necessary for Muslim countries to stand fully with the Palestinians, not only in words but also in actions.
