The Gaza tragedy: A call for global action and accountability
It is past time for countries to move beyond mere words and take concrete steps to protect innocent Palestinian children, women, and men from harm
Published: 04:06 PM,Jun 19,2024 | EDITED : 08:06 PM,Jun 19,2024
“If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?”
Perhaps ironically this extract taken from William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is part of a speech by the Jewish character Shylock. He is eloquently reminding others that all people are human and that we all feel the same pain when we are hurt.
However Shylock’s words “And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?” are the words that Mr Netanyahu and his extremist government should take on board. Shylock’s speech was not so much a call for his people to be treated equally but a warning that his people will seek revenge.
What is happening in Gaza will make it extremely difficult for the world to ever forgive the Israelis. The enemies of Israel and especially those who have suffered most at their hands are now understandably more determined than ever to seek revenge rather than a permanent peace with a two-state solution.
As humans, we all experience the same emotions when we are happy. We all have the same shared humanity and whilst we might express our needs and desires in different ways, at heart we seek the same things in life. We seek above all stability, security, and protection for our loved ones. This is a truism and therefore it makes it both more shocking and more inexplicable that the world can sit back and watch as Israel with apparent impunity continues to rain missiles down on most.
Palestinian children and women in Gaza.
We might well ask why are these innocent families being murdered. Because this is not a conventional war between two nations but an attack by one highly weaponised occupying force against an Indigenous people who have been forced for 76 years to live in a tiny sliver of their once advanced and highly productive land by Zionist invaders.
The self-evident targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza cannot be put down to that cruel euphemism “collateral damage.” Too many children and women have been slaughtered to give this Israeli excuse any credence. Moreover, the excuse that the Zionists are only killing Hamas fighters is equally flawed unless one were to accept that all Palestinians, including children, are members of Hamas or supportive of Hamas.
Which is not the case. Some have called Gaza a Concentration Camp which is another piece of irony since it was the Nazi Concentration Camps that murdered over six million Jews in World War 2. Those of the Jewish Faith, genuine Jews, condemn both Zionism and Israel. They condemn the genocide taking place in Gaza. Genuine Jews have said that they no longer have to imagine the Holocaust because it is taking place right now before their eyes and it is called Gaza.
The time for empty gestures and political posturing is over.
It is past time for countries to move beyond mere words and take concrete steps to protect innocent Palestinian children, women, and men from harm. This means actively supporting efforts to end the cycle of violence, providing crucial humanitarian aid and resources to those in need, and advocating for the implementation of international laws and conventions that safeguard the rights of non-combatants in conflict zones. Equally important for the future of a civilised world must be to make those guilty of genocide in Gaza accountable in a court of international law.
We all have a common humanity so perhaps a more accurate title for this article might have been “We are all Palestinians.”
Karim
The writer is a former school principal at Cambridge UK
k.easterbrook@yahoo.com
Perhaps ironically this extract taken from William Shakespeare’s play ‘The Merchant of Venice’ is part of a speech by the Jewish character Shylock. He is eloquently reminding others that all people are human and that we all feel the same pain when we are hurt.
However Shylock’s words “And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?” are the words that Mr Netanyahu and his extremist government should take on board. Shylock’s speech was not so much a call for his people to be treated equally but a warning that his people will seek revenge.
What is happening in Gaza will make it extremely difficult for the world to ever forgive the Israelis. The enemies of Israel and especially those who have suffered most at their hands are now understandably more determined than ever to seek revenge rather than a permanent peace with a two-state solution.
As humans, we all experience the same emotions when we are happy. We all have the same shared humanity and whilst we might express our needs and desires in different ways, at heart we seek the same things in life. We seek above all stability, security, and protection for our loved ones. This is a truism and therefore it makes it both more shocking and more inexplicable that the world can sit back and watch as Israel with apparent impunity continues to rain missiles down on most.
Palestinian children and women in Gaza.
We might well ask why are these innocent families being murdered. Because this is not a conventional war between two nations but an attack by one highly weaponised occupying force against an Indigenous people who have been forced for 76 years to live in a tiny sliver of their once advanced and highly productive land by Zionist invaders.
The self-evident targeting of innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza cannot be put down to that cruel euphemism “collateral damage.” Too many children and women have been slaughtered to give this Israeli excuse any credence. Moreover, the excuse that the Zionists are only killing Hamas fighters is equally flawed unless one were to accept that all Palestinians, including children, are members of Hamas or supportive of Hamas.
Which is not the case. Some have called Gaza a Concentration Camp which is another piece of irony since it was the Nazi Concentration Camps that murdered over six million Jews in World War 2. Those of the Jewish Faith, genuine Jews, condemn both Zionism and Israel. They condemn the genocide taking place in Gaza. Genuine Jews have said that they no longer have to imagine the Holocaust because it is taking place right now before their eyes and it is called Gaza.
The time for empty gestures and political posturing is over.
It is past time for countries to move beyond mere words and take concrete steps to protect innocent Palestinian children, women, and men from harm. This means actively supporting efforts to end the cycle of violence, providing crucial humanitarian aid and resources to those in need, and advocating for the implementation of international laws and conventions that safeguard the rights of non-combatants in conflict zones. Equally important for the future of a civilised world must be to make those guilty of genocide in Gaza accountable in a court of international law.
We all have a common humanity so perhaps a more accurate title for this article might have been “We are all Palestinians.”
Karim
The writer is a former school principal at Cambridge UK
k.easterbrook@yahoo.com