There is absolutely no doubt about the toll the Hamas-Israel fight is taking on the people of Gaza. The world’s leaders have expressed their concern, people are out in large numbers almost everywhere demanding an end to the carnage. A man actually set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC demanding an end to the conflict. One would imagine that those on the receiving end of Israel’s six-month long attack would be just as motivated to end the suffering.
But that is not the case and this should make the people think. Negotiations have been ongoing for some time on ending the conflict under the auspices of Qatar and Egypt, along with CIA officials, but the hope of a ceasefire has been scuttled because of the refusal by Hamas to release forty hostages, as demanded by Israel. Does this imply that Hamas believes it has the upper hand in the negotiations and the conflict? It would be natural to assume that the side suffering disproportionately more would be eager to arrive at a settlement. So, is the responsibility for Palestinian deaths entirely that of Israel?
While the majority of Israelis support the war effort, an increasing number are blaming their Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for the overall security failure. It is expected that he will be voted out when the present crisis is over. On the other hand, who has given the mandate to the Hamas leadership to play with the lives of Palestinians? The many countries supporting the ‘Palestinian cause’ should ask themselves this question. Are children, women and civilians considered combatants by the anti-Israeli front?
How is a ceasefire obtained at the cost of forty hostages not acceptable? It would not just buy time for a negotiated settlement, but also provide Hamas time and opportunity to reposition its forces – something that Israel has been seeking to thwart through continued hostilities. The reason for this, perhaps, is that Hamas has very little left in its kitty apart from the Israeli hostages. Any kind of a settlement at the present would be nothing short of conceding defeat. The global community should recognise that this could be a primary cause for the continuing hostilities.
The only option available under the circumstances is to make Israel adopt a unilateral ceasefire, leaving its citizens at the mercy of Hamas. Ravana’s insistence on not returning Sita led to the destruction of Lanka. Should Ram have returned home empty-handed?
