The War between the Hamas militant group in Gaza and the Zionist regime of Israel has come to an impasse. A stalemate that has cost the deaths of 400,00 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis. The war literally has both sides on a tightrope high above the bloody carnage interlocked in a moment of death and destruction. It has been a symptom of the greater conflict that will leave scars on the surviving victims in the years to come.
Since then, Israel has literally toed its former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and fabled general Moshe Dayan’s words. Sharon once said deterrence—creating fear in the region was Israel’s main weapon. Dayan famously said Israel “must be seen as a mad dog; too dangerous to bother.” Israeli jets have bombed the Gaza strip relentlessly, flattening entire neighbourhoods, schools, hospitals, and residential areas. Till now more than 40,000 Palestinians had been killed, more than half of them women and children. The humanitarian crisis that followed has been staggering, with nearly the entire population of Gaza displaced. For the people of Gaza, the war was not just a battle between Hamas and Israel—it was a catastrophe. A father of three, Hassan Abo who had fled with his family to Egypt, summed up the despair of so many Gazans:
“We have nothing left. Our homes are gone, our lives are destroyed. What future do my children have now?” he told Outlook.
It has been said that fear is a weak weapon when those who are on the defensive have hope. The Israeli political and military leadership have sort to cultivate a climate of fear through assassination, armed intimidation and the build up of its nuclear weapons arsenal and programme. The Israelis may see themselves as being vicious as a mad dog but they are surrounded by enemies who can be just as vicious. Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and the other groups it supports won’t let the Israeli Defence Force forget that fact. Hope is said to be the only force stronger than fear. With the devastating deaths of men, women and children due the war the Israelis have planted ample ground for their enemies to harvest. More enemy combatants will be groomed to go against the Zionist regime and its leadership. Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu created this situation and at some point, he will have to pay the price.
When a people like the Palestinians have remained under the army boots of the Israeli military and regime it breeds desperation amongst the victims. The Palestinians are no stranger to it.
Meanwhile the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) is advancing into southwest Lebanon. This has led to the IDF expanding its incursions to a new battlefield a year after exchanges of fire began with armed group Hezbollah. The United Nations has pleaded for a diplomatic solution to prevent the conflict from escalating.
The regional tensions triggered a year ago by Palestinian armed group Hamas’s attack on southern Israel have spiralled to a string of Israeli operations by land and air over Lebanon and direct attacks by Iran onto Israeli military installations. Iran warned Israel on Tuesday against any attacks on the Islamic Republic, a week after Tehran fired a barrage of missiles on it, putting the Middle East on edge. Any attack on Iran’s infrastructure will be met with retaliation, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said, warning Israel against attacks on his country. Araqchi will visit Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East starting on Tuesday to discuss regional issues and work on stopping Israel’s “crimes” in Gaza and Lebanon, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported.
Gulf states have sought to reassure Iran of their neutrality in the Iran-Israel conflict, sources told Reuters last week.
Under Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu, the “Mad Dog” that is the Israeli war machine is expanding its power. But it has cost it its strength. As Israel fights a war on three fronts with resources thinly stretched and its economy heavily bankrupted, it may turn to the United States to join in and attack Iran. Washington under US president Joe Biden may be reluctant to become embroiled in a chaotic war that could tear West Asia apart. Especially during an election year. The Israelis may have to wait for the return of former US president Donald Trump to office, unless Vice President Kamala Harris is elected in his stead. The regime in Tel Aviv knows they are too small to wage an all-out war against Tehran with out American assistance.
There are dark times ahead for the world If Netanyahu, his ilk and the militants are not reigned in. The Gulf monarchies and Saudi Arabia also do not wish for a war in which they have to pick a side. Neither Iran nor Israel is the best of bed fellows. Meanwhile it looks like an impassable stalemate for both the Israelis and the Palestinians atop a tight rope drenched with their blood.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
