Gaza: War on We, the People, and Arab-Muslim’s Shame

IN FOCUS, 20 Nov 2023

Mahboob A. Khawaja, Ph.D. – TRANSCEND Media Service

Witness to Insanity in Gaza

15 Nov 2023 – Discarding cynicism and political expediency, conscientious global scholars and realist humanistic leaders highlight the current catastrophic war on Gaza (Chris Hedges and Peter Koenig “The Horror, The Horror” in Gaza. Chris Hedges. What Is the UN Good for? Where Is the Human Rights Commission When It Is Needed? Global Research: 11/13/2023): as “The Horror is beyond words and beyond imagination. The Horror is of blood and shredded children. The Horror is of thousands and thousands – tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands — dead bodies disintegrating in the rubbles of indiscriminately IDF-bombed hospitals, apartment buildings, mosques – you name it.” https://www.globalresearch.ca/horror-gaza-what-un-good-where-human-rights- commission-when-needed/5839831

Where is the so called International Humanitarian Law and the protocols of the Geneva Conventions offering protection to civilians in war against forced displacement, working of hospitals and medical professionals and supplies of unrestrained foods and other necessities for human survival? Well, these were written words in dried ink many decades ago and now subject to interpretation of political agenda manipulated and coerced by American politicians and Israeli leaders. In essence, the whole world has come to stand still and lingers on the whim of President Joe Biden and Israeli PM Netanyahu whatever they perceive of the International Humanitarian Law and the Geneva Conventions becomes a reference point. As of this writing, Al-Shafia the main hospital in Gaza was raided by the Israeli armed forces and its lifelines were forcibly halted by the occupying Israeli forces asking the doctors to surrender. You wonder, what medical doctors have to do with the military insurgency and action wanting them to surrender. Are the medical doctors a combatant force? The global mankind does not ask for bogus statements and condemnation of the Israeli onslaught and clear violations of the rule of engagement in war but it wants a swift action to stop this insanity and unwarranted violent action against the hospital and its staff. Are there any people having living consciousness – any leaders to demand an immediate withdrawal of invading Israeli forces and return to normalcy of the hospital and its serving medical professionals? There are NONE whatsoever at the time of this submission. It is all quiet on that moral and political front of humanitarian obligations under the UN conventions and the Charter. Mocking its Charter obligations, the UN Security Council failed to protect the civilians from terror of daily bombardments of hospitals and places of worship across Gaza.

Are We, the People not witnessing a cataclysmic bloodbath being unleashed by continuous aerial bombardments and destruction of lives and habitats across Gaza? The EU leaders are uncertain and often giggle watching the insane developments taking shape in Gaza because the victims are not of Anglo-Sextan race but happen to be Arab Palestinians and Muslims of colored complexion and ethnicity. Does it not unfold an impulse of lost civilizations? It is not a fiction but a prevalent reality unfolding a sudden and inexplicable plunge into tyranny of killings of civilians and forcible displacement of millions that the so called international Humanitarian Law forbids and others define the violent developments as “crimes against humanity.”

Last night, the relaxed and smiling US President Biden on screen utters few words to Israel to ‘protect the sanctity of Al-Shifa hospital’ but stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire. Is there another name to political cruelty? President’s Security Advisor Jack Sullivan contends that ‘we do not want to see any firefight and attack on hospitals.’ What do you mean Mr. Sullivan, do you think the global humanity is just digits and numbers without any moral intellectual fabric unlike yours? They know you are on a dubious track of thinking and doing the things. The Al-Shifa occupied hospital has some 700 patients, about 40-50 kidney patients waiting for dialysis, 200 or ore medical doctors and staff pushed in a room by the Israeli forces and more importantly, 36 premature born babies (plus 3 have already died), and without electricity and incubators. What a tragic humanitarian crisis in the making by armed intervention of the few mindless and belligerent politicians? Israeli ministers are reported to nuke the enclave of Gaza and to displace civilians to other countries. To stop the horrors against humanity, urgent action is needed to protect sanctity of the hospitals and emergency services. Are we at the dead-end of inhuman catastrophe? And not even the Humanitarian Law, Geneva Conventions, the ICRC and Red Cross able to ensure the safety of the hospital.

Global Outrage against Planned Atrocities on Gaza

The voices of public consciousness echo across many continents to “ Stop the War in Gaza”, “Let Palestinians Live”, and stop the “Crimes against Humanity by America and Israel.” No wonder who listens to these inner voices of humanity when unabated bombardments are destroying Gaza. How strange all American and European proponents of human rights, law and justice, liberty and equality are plagued with dormant ideas and fake statements of “humanitarian pause” rather than calling for an immediate ceasefire and halt to indiscriminate bombing of hospitals, places of worships, civilians dwellings supporting life and civility in the 21^st century of informed humanity. These encompassing realities are not the media disinformation but truths and facts of prevalent lifelines across Gaza. That is how the Two WW happened. There is much evil and less goodness in the 21st century global affairs – amassed collection of unthinkable junk history. The animals live and do not reflect on the imperatives of life whereas, we the human beings cannot act like animals as we are suppose to be intelligent and responsible species on this Earth. At the edge of reason, notion of evil leads to realization of evil and the tyranny of war must be stopped.

Are the Arab-Muslim Leaders Waiting for the End of Time and History?

If there were responsible Arab-Muslim leaders in tragic humanitarian crisis situation, they should have exercised the capacity to intervene and stop the carnage of American-Israeli unwanted attack on Gaza and its innocent masses. The oil exporting Arab countries are the major buyers of weapons and military hardware from America and Western Europe. Is that weaponry meant just for a show case or is it meant to be sued in defense of the Arab-Muslim national interest? America and Israel needed a moral, intellectual and political challenge to stop the miscalculated onslaught on Gaza but it was nowhere to be seen on the Arabian horizon. The Arab-Muslim leaders lack moral and intellectual integrity and carry no weight on global moral scale as once they used to be enriched. The media report cites Emir of Qatar talking to President Biden and calling for a ceasefire. Was President Biden so dumb and dull not to have listened to such a vital conversation for a logical action? A prince of Arabia calls the Israeli attack as a “war crime.” Strangely enough and contrary to conventional wisdom, what does a prince know about the war and crimes against humanity and its encompassing reality on Gaza to make a meaningless statement. What should have been the priority agenda of peace and conflict resolution is lost between competing political interests and competing moral claims. What a shame, what a grace to masses expectations that Arab-Muslim leaders would act to defend them and their rights, human dignity and sustainable future.

Please see more by this author, “How Did Arab Leaders Betrayed Islam and Defied the Logic of Political Change, Peace and Security”, Uncommon Thought Journal: 10/7/2023;

https://www.uncommonthought.com/mtblog/archives/2023/10/07/how-did-arab-leaders-betrayed- islam-and-defied-the-logic-of-political-change-peace-and-security.php

Israel-Palestine Conflict: Saga of Peacemaking, Equal Rights and Two States: Countercurrents.org:10/20/2023 https://countercurrents.org/2023/10/israel-palestine-conflict-saga-of- peacemaking-equal-rights-and-two-states/

Are There Any Arab Leaders Capable of Peaceful Future-Making?

Surprisingly enough, there are no Arab leaders equipped with knowledge-based courage, wisdom and intellectual capacity to discuss the current conflict at a global platform. What is the real problem? The contemporary oil richer Arab leaders live in palaces protected by Western mercenaries, not with people and their agenda includes good times with bland European-American females, football matches, Olympic games and watching camel and horse races. They lack competence to deal with war and conflicts. Most are authoritarian dictators, former tribal agents turned into royals, princes, kings and presidents and simply act as puppets and subservient to the American, British and French colonial policies and practices in the region. They could never think outside the box and are devoid of knowledge and conventional wisdom to act for Islam and the masses. In Chapter 60:5 (Al-Quran), Prophet Abraham prays to God: Our Lord! Make us not – a test and trial for the Disbelievers;

But forgive us, our Lord! For Thou art the Exalted in Might, the Wise.”

The November 11, Arab-Muslim OIC gathering in Saudi Arabia did nothing useful to demonstrate its ability and relevance to global affairs. The Arab leaders failed miserably to offer any sense of security to the besieged masses of Palestine. Courage is a characteristic of intelligent leaders; but shame to those who could not offer any protection against American complicity and Israeli killing of the civilians in Gaza. It is no surprising to think that all the Arab-Muslim leaders have very little sense of reality, wisdom and accountability to be effective leaders.

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Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in international relations-global security, peace and conflict resolution with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations, and author of several publications including the latest book: Global Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution: Approaches to Understand the Current Issues and Future-Making, Lambert Academic Publications, Germany, 2017.

This article originally appeared on Transcend Media Service (TMS) on 20 Nov 2023.

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