Imagine yourself on a lovely day going about your business when all of a sudden bombs pour from the sky and you see soldiers moving in your area from one direction. In just a few moments your world turns upside down and you see hell on earth. Imagine that the lives of the people around you are not in fact combinations of ambitions and emotions but a simple statistic that is shared on social media. Imagine that your name pops up on a news channel and is mentioned as collateral damage. That’s how people have lived in the state of Palestine for almost a quarter of a century.
Palestine has faced conflicts, genocide, and wars on its soil for many years. It won’t be an exaggerated fact that a whole generation was raised in the environment mentioned above. But considering the power of the United Nations and other international forums and communities, people had begun to think that atrocities the likes of the Holocaust would never show themselves again. To our and everyone else’s astonishment, we have witnessed the genocide in Gaza and have stood with our hands behind our backs all the while raising our voices as if that changed anything.
The Hidden Agendas
From the 7th of October, 2023, Israel massacred the people of Palestine with no respite. Hamas, in its own power, took action, but to what end? And the world powers, along with the silent community of Muslims, strived to achieve their own games. It seems as if the thousands who perished had no impact on the world at all. Russia saw this as an opportunity to change the dynamics of its world influence. Facing difficulty and a long-prolonged conflict in Ukraine, Russia chose to impart some attention elsewhere to give relief to its forces. With Western attention diverted to the calls of Israel, Russia had successfully gained its objective.
China had its own designs. Already proclaiming itself to be a champion of human rights, it raised its voice on forums along with South Africa to show its hegemony in world politics. The USA and the West had to show support for Israel to maintain their relations and standing in the Middle East. While some countries of the West seemed eager to show that they were against Israel, it was only a way to gather attention in their own spheres. The “silent” Muslim community had to suppress its people, so they often gave public statements and nothing else. Of course, then there was Iran and Yemen, who, supposedly, were taking strong action. But it is now quite evident that Iran was more interested in stabilizing its nuclear deal and Yemen’s Houthi government had to bring back some importance to its forgotten conflict.
In all the cases, what strikes me as most astonishing is the fact that the people of Palestine, the so-called collateral damages, were neglected over and over again. No country actually did anything to save the lives of the people other than seeking their own gains. Some even succeeded in fooling the world community that they were actually on the right side and helping the devastated people.
The Fragile Ceasefire in Palestine
As of 19th January 2025, a ceasefire in Palestine came into action with 3 phases. But even till the start of the ceasefire process, the Israeli forces wreaked havoc in Palestine. This makes you wonder how the world can trust the treacherous Netanyahu to follow the decree. What unfolds before us is perhaps a mockery of the martyrs of Palestine. But what can we do besides what we’ve always done—watch silently, thinking that Jerusalem is different and that the same can never happen to Islamabad or Istanbul?
What the world has lost is not something that can be expressed as a mere number. The world lost souls, like every one of us. They had dreams, hopes, and desires; they too wanted to witness a world of peace, and they deserved that. And we cannot hope that being silent watchers of their desperation will leave us with no charge. What goes around comes around. While we calm our nerves with the mirage of a ceasefire in Palestine, we forget the upcoming cloud of calamity. Soon the world will move on and forget the people and their issues. But the Israeli people have already gained what they desired. The people of Gaza are displaced beyond recovery, and the infrastructure is completely devastated. It’s a land ripe for Israeli settlement and takeover. They would try to do so gradually.
What of the generations that have been devastated? There are many children who have become orphans since the start of the war. There are many who have been widowed. These people will seek justice and some repercussions. And how do we deal with that? How would the world give peace to their tormented minds? A few years from now, we might see many more avengers rising.
For starters, we must try to at least form some kind of policy towards this. As a nation, we must take this step forward. If we can’t provide them the justice they deserve, then as humans and as brothers and sisters of the same faith, we must do our duty to them. This is beyond just the interest and concern of a nation in terms of geostrategic alliances.
In the mirage of this façade, the world grows silent and rejoices. But it’s worth remembering at times like these that the chaos has not subsided yet. Rather, it has just progressed in another phase and in a new form. It is not a matter of a single snap of fingers to establish peace and prosperity. It takes sweat and blood, along with time. But for the souls lost and the ones in peril now, all the worlds struggle to achieve it is worth a shot.
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