The world’s holiest of holy sites, Jerusalem, sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslim alike, is also the world’s longest-lasting powder keg — a history of a hundred years. Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims are engaged in a fresh round of fights via rocket and missile attacks and other devastating weapons, unfortunately in the Holy Month of Ramzan. The fight began this time at Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City, it being the third-holiest site in Islam. Since the beginning of mid-April, Palestinians faced resistance from Israeli police in East Jerusalem to thwart evening gatherings there. Militant Sunni Muslims say Israel ignited fire in Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa and the “flames” extended to Gaza, the base of the Hamas militant outfit.
In a series of attacks since Monday, about a hundred people have been killed and over 300 injured as Gaza, the strip of land abutting the Mediterranean Sea and under part control of Hamas Islamists and external control by Israel since 2005, remains the hardest hit. A population of over 20 lakh growing at the fastest rate of over 2 per cent a year in Gaza is bearing the brunt.What gives militarily well-equipped Israel an added advantage is that it controls Gaza’s air-space, maritime space and six of the seven land entry points. The Sunni Muslims populating Gaza, captured by Israelis in 1967 from Egypt, are treated as second class citizens in the occupied land while the Hamas in recent years enjoyed marginal governance freedom.
Israel’s air-strikes over Gaza have flattened several high-rise buildings. In retaliation, the Hamas militants have fired over 130 rockets to Israeli areas, and the casualties there could be high as well. On the Hamas side, several militant commanders have been targeted and killed, meaning a full-scale war is unfolding.Israel has the American backing, as is reflected also in the statement by President Joe Biden on Thursday that Israel has a right to defend itself in the face of rocket attacks from the Hamas militants. His predecessor, Donald Trump’s decision to shift the US embassy from capital Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, against international will, had complicated the West Asia scene a couple of years ago. An effort by Barack Obama while as president to broker peace in the Middle East had not helped. This was a follow-up to a push by Jimmy Carter when he was president, via the Camp David agreement. The present offensives must be stopped through mediation and Egypt is already making an effort with US backing. Palestinians virtually live a caged existence and they should be allowed to breathe easy.
