Israel must stand down

THE EDITOR, Madam:

‘’Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’’ Lord Acton succinctly captures the crux of one of the most debilitating humanitarian crises to date. The omnipresent saga – Israel and Gaza – is an unprecedented holocaust steeped in hate and disregard, the persistent truth that ought to be examined to end the recurring lies in the core ideologies of Israel’s foreign policy. Israel, it would appear, has inculcated in its outlook a rather hostile, radical ‘Big-stick policy’ within the Middle East and other regions. One that is reactive rather than proactive in nature.

The consensus – a win must be dawned at all costs. Since its independence in 1948, Israel has engaged in varying entanglements and conflicts. Eighteen large-scale military operations to date have been reported in which Israel has played an intimate role, resulting in grave atrocities.

The latest has resulted in the deaths of more than 11,400 people, just after two months. Israel’s very move results in a fatal stumble of its seemingly ignorant partners. The turmoil has left Gaza with a mass graveyard. Nothing stands still in Gaza, it is but a mere spectacle to the world. Here today, gone tomorrow seems to be the motto, as the world sits idly by observing the overstretched United Nations solely mediating and addressing the ills of the world. There is an immediate and extremely urgent plea to garner impartial support from possibly other regions, even in disposition, that will assist in radicalising the current state of affairs between both parties.

It has become yet another redundant and crippling cycle. Gaza stands on shifting sands withering away with each passing day. Although one to provoke, they are indeed vastly weaker than their formidable opponents. Interestingly, they have resigned themselves to picking up the pieces after each occurrence … why? Israel , after decades of tug of wars must now invite a definite proposal for strategic no-bombing zones within Gaza, to safeguard lives. Subsequently, if no long-standing resolutions can be unearthed, officials must be steadfast in their convictions and devise specific agreements to ensure some sense of normalcy is always preserved on either side, in the middle of impending conflicts.

Notably, generations of Gazan children, for far too long, have manoeuvred a maze of unequal heartache, dejection, confusion and barrenness that will inevitably erode their confidence and sense of justice. The unilateral and barbaric approach exercised has left the world in awe. Israel must now stand down and thoroughly re-examine its economic and social policies, in an effort to align with international relations standards of the 21st century.

The UN’s high commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk , stated recently ‘’Rarely have I heard such disturbing testimony about the catastrophic harm that ordinary people have endured, and which continues to mount. And never in my career of working in many crisis situations around the world have I met such an outpouring of fear, anger and despair.” The world must act now. Lest we forget, the shackles of an archaic, pessimistic mindset can only be broken through the realisation that one’s beliefs is transient, not genetic.

TARA HENRY