Israel’s response after the Hezbollah strike on a football field in Golan Heights that took the lives of twelve children was effective and targeted. That is what people usually expect of Israel, rather than the ongoing devastation in Gaza. The Hamas Chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Beirut were taken out without wasting time. Shukur is believed to have been behind the strike in Golan Heights.
The Tehran killing was particularly embarrassing for Iran, and the Iranian leadership has vowed to take revenge. The global community apprehends that this will lead to the ongoing conflict in Gaza spreading across the region. Iran’s vowed revenge may bring it directly in conflict with Israel and lead to interventions by the big powers. Turkiye has already stated it may do so. The economic consequences of such a conflagration will create further distortions in the world’s economy, even impacting nations quite distant from the conflict. This includes India, which has so far succeeded in minimising such disruption, but it has not been easy.
Efforts to bring peace to the region have been ongoing but without much success. Israel’s basic demand that hostages kidnapped by Hamas be released has not been met, despite extensive mediation by Qatar. Despite the tens of thousands killed by Israel in Gaza, the support of the Palestinian people for Hamas has not diminished. Along with this, public opinion in neighbouring countries and in many parts of the world remains in favour of the terrorist organisation. Quite obviously, this sentiment has its roots in religious fundamentalism that refuses to acknowledge ground level suffering and reality. As such, logic does not achieve much during negotiations.
The only possibility at the present is, therefore, getting Israel to back off. This can only be done by guaranteeing its security through a pact offered by the powerful nations. Thus far, the near absolute support from the US does not seem to have influenced the Israeli leadership enough. It must be appreciated that nations that were involved in earlier conflicts against Israel, like Egypt, Syria, etc., have maintained their composure. India has always maintained a balanced and pragmatic approach between Palestine and Israel. But this has not been enough. Perhaps, China and Russia could broker a deal that may persuade the two sides. Attempts have reportedly been made by China, but there is always a new aggravation that causes disruption. The world can only hope for everybody’s sake that peace will eventually prevail.
