Presently, the global community’s gaze is firmly affixed on the tragic loss of innocent lives in Gaza, an outcome of actions by Israeli terror.
The voices from the Western world, including Americans and Europeans, have framed the situation as a conflict between defenders of Western values and their adversaries. There were remarkable similarities between the Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef, who drew comparisons of the Israeli leadership with a narcissistic psychopath, and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in terms of what these Western values are, exposing Israel’s controversial narrative that victimizes Israel in the face of Hamas’ surprise attack.
Youssef and Fidan have articulated a similar perspective on Israel’s purported fight against Hamas. They pointed out the Israeli occupation of two distinct regions, the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas holds administrative authority and is recognized as a political party in Gaza. Simultaneously, the Al-Qassam Brigades are fighting for freedom to defend their homeland.
In the West Bank, there is a fictitious Palestinian state. People there live within Israel under a supposed jurisdiction framework while Israel seeks to eliminate Hamas. Well, even though there is no Hamas presence in the West Bank, each day, hopes of West Bank Palestinians are shattered. People are dying, even children are dying and the region’s inhabitants endure immense suffering.
Over the past 70 years, it has become evident that Israel has been trying to kill Palestinians one by one. In an ironic twist of fate, Adolf Hitler also pursued a similar path although he could not succeed in exterminating Jews through gas chambers or mass killings in the end. Today, Israel’s actions bear a resemblance to a group of murderers, akin to a terrorist organization, relentlessly taking the lives of children.
A poignant message sent to Israel by Recai Kutan during his tenure as the chairperson of the Virtue Party (FP) echoes in this context: “You are taking the lives of all these children. Are you not afraid that one child will be left behind?”
As history tells us, the Pharaoh, too, ordered the killing of all children, but the Prophet Moses survived and eventually defeated the Pharaoh by fighting. I think the same script is being repeated in the world today.
Long-standing conflict
During the 1970s, the Palestinian cause gained prominence. However, over time, it has endured diminishing importance and increasing intractability. Regrettably, Israel’s actions have been perceived as gradually eroding the Palestinian population. The recent tragic events, marked by a significant loss of innocent lives, have not only reignited global attention on the Palestinian issue but have also elevated it to a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented gravity in the annals of human history.
Palestinians have demonstrated remarkable levels of literacy and expertise, with their intellectual contributions resonating globally. Simultaneously, they have garnered substantial empathy within the Islamic world and among diverse nations worldwide.
Given the geopolitical complexities of the Islamic world, where many states are perceived as influenced by imperial powers, the people of these nations have grown increasingly sensitive to the Palestinian issue. Individuals in Arab countries often view their governments’ responses as indifferent, which heightened the significance of the Palestinian cause.
Furthermore, China’s involvement in mediating between Iran and Saudi Arabia has shaken the United States’ regional influence, a shift with potentially far-reaching consequences. The growing influence of Iran has raised concerns among Western powers, which have effectively demonized Iran. The Islamic Republic also holds an advantage in communication with China and Russia, stemming from its historical ties to the communist era.
West losing ground
Western nations are grappling with the dynamics of China, Russia and Iran, and monitoring the ascendance of Türkiye, which has evolved into a regional power, leveraging hard power, soft power, trade and global education.
The rise of certain powers in human history usually coincides with the decline of their adversaries. No matter how much they struggle or how many massacres they commit, it does not change: Western values have fallen and have been completely devalued. As they go on stage and say that Western values and the opposing ones are in conflict, they surround a community with walls like a prison. They starve and dehydrate them. They release bombs on their heads whenever they want. They breach international agreements by violating the inviolability of the patients, the hospitals and places of worship. In calls for justice, they often side with the oppressor rather than the oppressed, permitting the use of phosphorus bombs and violating an ancient war law that soldiers die and civilians are protected.
While 500 children have been killed in the nearly two-year war in Ukraine, some 2,000 children were killed by the 10th day of the Gaza conflict. Shamelessly and devilishly, the Israeli administration and Western circles claim that this attack did not come from Israel, meaning their values are entirely rotten and destroyed.
Maybe many Palestinians will lose their lives in this war, but Israel, the U.S. and the other Western states that support them will no longer be able to speak a decent sentence about human rights, justice and law. The more they utter these words, the more they will be spat upon by their people and humanity.
It is imperative to acknowledge that moral principles, virtue and the rule of law consistently exert more influence and resilience than mere military might. As Western states appear to have increasingly drifted away from these ethical foundations, there is a growing perception of their actions resembling self-serving plots akin to a “mafia.” It is worth remembering that such morally deficient entities seldom endure in the long run.
Source: Daily Sabah
