By T P Sreenivasan
Nothing seems to have changed in the Middle East even after the signing of the Abraham Accords, and the exit of President Donald Trump. The most recent Hamas rocket attacks and the disproportionate air strikes by Israel followed the familiar pattern. Efforts by the UN Security Council to call for restraint and a ceasefire have been blocked by the United States to give Israel time to wreak vengeance on Hamas and to deliver a stern message against another intifada. “If the Biden administration had a honeymoon at the UN, it is over now,” said Richard Gowan, who represents the International Crisis Group at the UN.
The US is isolated, as before, in the Security Council on this issue and if the matter is taken to the General Assembly, the US would be condemned even more and that may be the only reason for the US to agree to an open meeting of the Security Council next week, which may result in an inane call for peace. Russia and Turkey are likely to agitate the issue in the General Assembly. At the same time, blocking statements and debate by the US “is a gift to China and Russia, who will portray the US as the villain blocking UN action over Gaza whenever the US raises Syria or Xinjiang,” Gowan said.
The latest violence was sparked off by the growing unrest over control of Jerusalem and attempts by Jewish settlers to take over Arab-controlled communities. The tensions have spilled over into the West Bank, where hundreds of residents in Arab communities staged overnight protests against recent actions of Israeli security forces against Palestinians. Casualties have been mounting on both sides, as Hamas continues its bomb attacks on Israeli targets. A 26-year-old Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli troops in a refugee camp near the city of Hebron. In the city of Lod, near Tel Aviv, a 25-year-old Arab man was shot and killed by a Jewish resident. Clashes between the Arabs and Jews have been taking place in civilian areas.
It is not unusual for fighting to break out between Israel and Hamas, given the way the Palestinians are treated in Gaza, but they do not last long as no war can resolve the issues between them. But Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is struggling to win a majority and to overcome corruption charges, warned in a statement that “This is just the beginning. We’ll hit them like they’ve never dreamed possible.”
The U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart and released a statement proclaiming “ironclad support for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and its people.” The statement said Lloyd “strongly condemned the launching of rockets by Hamas and other terrorist groups that targeted Israeli civilians” and “reiterated the importance of all involved parties to take steps to restore calm.” At the same time, for the record, the US stated that Palestinians must be afforded the right “to live in safety and security” while calling for de-escalation.
There appears to be a vaccine inequity issue between Israel and Palestinian Authority at the present time. According to the Times of Israel, Israel had purchased ten million vaccine units of Astra Zeneca, which are lying unutilised as Israel switched to Pfizer and Moderna versions and completed the vaccination of the whole population of Israel. On the other hand, only 1% of the Palestinians have been fully vaccinated. Israel is trying to divert the vaccine to some other country or just throw them away. This would be seen by the Palestinians as cruel discrimination by Israel. It could have been a win -win situation if the vaccines were transferred to the Palestine Authority as a good will gesture.
India, as a member of the Security Council, is engaged in counselling restraint since we have good relations with Israel and Palestine. The unfortunate death of Soumya, a young Indian lady in the Hamas bombing impelled us to criticise Hamas for indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas. Israel has made a gesture by the speedy despatch of the body of Soumya in its national carrier to Kerala. Gone are the days when we stood solidly behind Palestine, but we still demand Israeli withdrawal from the territories occupied since 1967 and the establishment of a Palestinian state. Israel had shown understanding of our principled position on Palestine even in the old days and our continuing position on Palestine has not stood in the way of our good relations today. An all-out war is not likely because Hamas will have little support from the Arabs and a final solution is hardly possible when the global situation is in a state of flux. Peaceful co-existence is the only option for Israel and Palestine. We can expect a speedy end to the conflict and resumption of an uneasy peace in Gaza.
‘‘The latest violence was sparked off by the growing unrest over control of Jerusalem and attempts by Jewish settlers to take over Arab-controlled communities. The tensions have spilled over into the West Bank, where hundreds of residents in Arab communities staged overnight protests against recent actions of Israeli security forces against Palestinians. Casualties have been mounting on both sides, as Hamas continues its bomb attacks on Israeli targets.” A 26-year-old Palestinian was killed in clashes with Israeli troops in a refugee camp near the city of Hebron. In the city of Lod, near Tel Aviv, a 25-year-old Arab man was shot and killed by a Jewish resident. Clashes between the Arabs and Jews have been taking place in civilian areas.
(The writer is a former diplomat- Email: [email protected])