As expected, the Israel-Hamas conflict is going out of control and the casualties among civilians are piling up. And this is when the IDF has not even entered Gaza, as yet. There is concern around the world but much of it is partisan – for or against Israel. Hamas is being conflated with the Palestinian and the ‘Islamic’ cause by sections of the political spectrum around the world. This makes it hard for nations to intervene constructively for a resolution of the conflict. This is particularly so with nations of the region, including India which has stakes in both sides of the game.
Israel has strongly denied that it is responsible for the hospital bombing that resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. In fact, it has offered evidence that it was caused by a Hamas rocket. It is even being suggested that it could be a ‘false flag’ operation directed at weakening US-Israel solidarity during President Joe Biden’s visit to Tel Aviv. Biden’s first comment has blamed the attack on ‘the other team’, suggesting that US policy will not be influenced by the event. However, it is bound to impact Israel’s position in backroom negotiations.
While the world’s democracies are facing protests and counter-protests on this issue, the autocracies like Russia and China remain cold and distant. Whatever happens will only strengthen their relative positions vis-à-vis western efforts to build coalitions against their expanding influence in the world. It must be noted that Arab countries and Iran, while claiming to empathise with the Palestinian’s plight, are unwilling to allow refugees into their lands. Their argument is that those fleeing Gaza would never be able to return to their land if this is done, serving Israel’s alleged long-term objective.
Analysts are also asking what Israel would do if it does enter and take control of Gaza. Past experience has shown that administering the area is a no-win situation. All of this indicates that Israel’s determination to destroy Hamas does not seem rooted in any long term strategy. And, the world is by no means united enough to provide some kind of international peace-keeping arrangement.
These developments have also strengthened Islamist hardliners everywhere. This is bound to create divisions between Muslims and other communities in many countries, signs of which are already being seen. The civilians caught in the crossfire will have to face the consequences and the world will become an even more unstable place.
