By Qamar Bashir
The situation in the conflict between Israel and Palestinians has resulted in a tragic loss of life and a humanitarian crisis. The violence has led to the deaths of 17500 and wounding of 46,000 innocent civilians, including children, elderly individuals, women, and unarmed young people.
A significant number of Palestinians have been displaced, lacking access to essential necessities like food, water, medical assistance, fuel, and secure shelter. This ongoing crisis is exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation for the 2.3 million affected individuals.
But the question is how many Hamas, Hizb and Houthis fighters have been neutralized so far?. The answer is almost negligible, whereas an unprecedented 418 armed to the teeth Israeli soldiers have been killed by Hamas resistance. In fact, laden with protective gears, having the world’s finest and most powerful airforce at their beck and call, world’s most feared spies agencies on their back, the world’s most sophisticated military technology at their disposal have failed to make any dent into the prowess of Hamas, Hezbollah or Houthis which prompted the French President Emmauel Macron to say that if Israel continue to pursue its war mongering policies in Palestine, the war would go as far as for ten years without any end in sight and added that Israel has erred to set the target to continue war until Hamas’s military capabilities are eliminated, and said that it will take longer than Western societies are prepared to accept, longer than what their leaders, and above all U.S. President Joe Biden, a close friend of Israel, is willing to tolerate it.
Did Israel achieve its prime objective of securing the release of hostages?. Answer is a big No. Israel has miserably failed to liberate even a single hostage by the combined forces and might of world dreaded Israeli Mossad, USA’s CIA and UK IM-6 and India infamous Raw agencies.
They failed to get even a slightest trail of the whereabouts of the hostages and all their reconnaissance apparatus were blunted completely. Instead the indiscriminate aerial bombing by Israeli air force, guns and tanks on the civilian targets put the lives of the hostages in greater danger than the threat imposed by Hamas.
Has Israel succeeded in stopping the missiles attack by Hamas, Hezbollah attacks from the north and Houthis attack from the south on Israeli cities and settlements?. The reply is a big No. Have Israel neutralized the threat of full scale attacks from Iran?.
The answer is a big No. Hezbollah’s arsenal includes roughly 150,000 offensive rockets and missiles, including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. Its weapons have been employed to a limited degree since Oct. 7, but in full force they could be catastrophic.
Direct conflict with Iran would be equally or more catastrophic for Israel. Iran has a highly sophisticated stockpile of short-, medium-, and long-range missiles capable of delivering nuclear warheads to Israel and beyond. Its program poses a threat to both Israel and other American allies. The new kinds of indigenous missiles used by the Hizb and Hamas have broken the formidable “Iron Dome” air defense system and have successfully been hitting the intended targets.
Have Israel won the media war?. A big No. Even Israel’s own media, US, UK and the media of almost the entire world disapproved of the senseless, brute inhumane and insensitive killing spree by the Israeli air force which completely dominates the skies of Gaza and West Bank without any resistance.
Even the obvious, highly calibrated and biased coverage and reporting by US and European media could not stop the turning of the public opinions in US and European countries against Israel’s insensible war crimes against unarmed civilians.
The demonstrators in huge numbers around the world are expressing their solidarity with the Palestinian People and condemning Israel’s war on Gaza and calling for a permanent ceasefire. Large scale protests were held New York, London, Paris, Manila, Tunis, Tehran, Karachi, Beirut, Harare, Tokyo, Stockholm, Johannesburg, Quezon City, Milan and elsewhere putting pressure on their respective government to change their rhetoric and condemn Israel’s senseless killing spree and support and aid of Palestinians stressed civilians, and to pursue permanent peace by implementing UN Resolution 181, passed by the UN General Assembly in 1947 calling for partition of Palestine into two states.
The world leaders with a view to pacify their agitated publics which are appalled by the horrific images and videos coming out of Gaza in large number depicting the horror inflicted upon civilians especially children are now calling upon Israel to offer a political horizon for the end of the military campaign, announce the beginning of talks with the Palestinian Authority based on a two-state solution—offering stability, cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians, and cooperation between Israel and the moderate Arab states within the framework of the Arab League peace initiative.
Did Israeli justification for attacking hospitals, refugee camps, offices and storage facilities of international organizations as hideouts of Hamas proven right?. The Big reply is No. The Israeli occupying soldiers had nothing to offer after the capturing of Al Shifa Hospital but to stage only a few army boots, a few rounds of ammunition and some outdated refiles of almost no significance as a proof of using hospitals as hideouts by Hamas. This proved Israel and its master US wrong in the same manner as the narrative injected by the USA in the media to wage war in the middle east was proven baseless, immoral, excessive and false.
Did Israel win the diplomatic successes? The big question is No. Since the start of the israel genocide in Gaza, at least nine countries, including Jordan, Bahrain, Turkey, Colombia, Honduras, Chile, Belize, South Africa and Chad, have recalled their ambassadors to Israel or severed ties altogether. Several South American countries filed diplomatic protests against Israel in response to the conflict with Hamas. Bolivia severed all diplomatic ties with Israel, attributing its decision to alleged war crimes and human rights violations in the Gaza Strip. Chile and Colombia also recalled their ambassadors. Belize suspended diplomatic relations with Israel.The Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced the recall of its ambassador while condemns the genocide and serious violations of international humanitarian law.
The United Nation Secretary General in his many statements condemned the Hamas attack in Israel, but was appalled by the killing of civilians in Gaza especially women and children. He mourned and honored the United Nations colleagues who were killed in the bombardment of Gaza. He was dismayed by the break of International humanitarian laws and called on all parties to abide by it, including the principles of distinction, proportionality, and precaution.
Once again the role of the USA and its willing partnership to kill the children, women and armedless civilians has endorsed the USA’s position as a characterless, immoral and brute military power. All the Muslim countries and those countries and leaders who respect the international humanitarian law have once again awakened to the reality that for USA leadership there is no rule of law or respect for people of any other countries except their own of their stooges. The Trigger happy USA has been destroying societies after societies and countries after countries mostly by developing a wrong, misconceived and deceptive narrative around it.
Now the countries in large numbers are turning to other powers and urging them to play a much larger role in resolving the conflicts which have been purposefully ignited and willfully prolonged to keep the world and region of their choice in constant state of turmoil.
One such power which has made its niche in resolving the conflicts between states and societies in an logical, peaceful and dignified manner is China. China is perhaps the only super power which latently has no ambition to exploit one nation and against the other to establish its hegemony but it latently and willfully is sharing the prosperity and development achieved by it during the last three decades with other countries without asking anything in return.
Militarily unipower world has played havoc on the peace and development of the weaker countries creating the gap and space for another superpower, which in the current parlance is only China capable of filling this gap.
All peace loving countries of the world should double up their efforts with China in the lead to support complete ceasefire in Israel Hamas conflict, and to start of negotiation process to determine and settle the modus operandi to convince all parties in the conflict to agree for a two states solution as promised by the United Nation Resolution 181 adopted in 1947.
By Qamar Bashir
Former Press Secretary to the President
Former Press Minister to the Embassy of Pakistan to France
Former MD, SRBC
