The war in Gaza has entered 12th month and soon it will be one year of continued bloodshed in the territory which has been in the grip of destruction ever since the UN mandated the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, and also that of Palestine. Palestinians, supposed to an independent Palestine like what Israelis have, stand beguiled by fellow Arabs and UN that are unable to stop even their genocide, let alone ensuring them their state.
The conflict that was triggered was the October 7 attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters deep inside bordering Israeli areas. The Israeli retaliation followed swiftly, killing thousands of Palestinians. Reported toll in mainstream media quotes it being 41,000 plus till Monday (16/9/2024). But a July Lancet study found that the true number of deaths may well top 186,000 – and that is only if the killing ends soon. Gaza right now, according to all international humanitarian agencies, is staring at the worst-ever humanitarian catastrophe.
UN chief António Guterres has called the situation in Gaza a “moral stain on us all”. He said in July that hostilities in Gaza have created appalling human suffering, physical destruction, and collective trauma. It even led to exceptional invocation of Article 99 of the Charter of the UN in a bid to establish a ceasefire. One year on, the ceasefire remains elusive and daily killings continue in ever more gruesome spectacle.
Why is it that the international system has so adjectively failed to address such an urgent humanitarian emergency? The UNSC had passed a resolution months back calling for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas – the very reason for Israel’s murderous assault on Palestinian population. Yet, nobody in the theater of war seems to be paying any attention to it.
Only last week, the UNSC called an urgent meeting to address the situation in Gaza and the possibility of a ceasefire, either agreed by both the parties or forced by the UN. Interestingly, the US, all-weather ally of Israel, which had not vetoed the June UNSC move on ceasefire, called on the Netanyahu government to opt for a ceasefire as it takes into account all its concerns and ensures its security. The US ambassador to the UN also tried to allay fears of the Israeli government by saying that Hamas was no longer as capable as it was on October 7.
All other members of the UNSC, including permanent five and 15 non-permanent, echoed similar views. However, there is no signal from Israel that it would halt its military campaign and enter into final talks with Hamas. Meanwhile, there is no will in the UNSC to force Israel to withdraw troops from Gaza and deploy its own forces. The flaw lies in exercising UN rules in practice.
Besides, the responsibility for preventing the gravest of crimes falls not only on the UN but the entire international community, from individual states to civil society — and it is the latter that must prosecute and punish such crimes when the UN fails to do so. Sadly, both the UN and international community appear powerless to limit the methods of warfare, implement a ceasefire, call up UN forces to protect civilians in Gaza, or ensure accountability. Moreover, the current conflict illustrates a structural failure of the UN: the imbalance of power between a small group of states and the majority of states and peoples in the world.
While the US, UK and France are in favor of ceasing the conflict and getting Israeli hostages released from the captivity of Hamas, they are not ready to put any real pressure on the Netanyahu government. While others like Russia and China have even avoided making any serious statement except reiterating their stance of supporting the ceasefire as the quickest solution to the elongating crisis.
Stumbling blocks in ceasefire
It’s been clear that the only way the Gaza conflict could be brought to a halt is immediate ceasefire. There have been umpteen number of attempts, mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar. They have failed every time. The latest attempt was a proposal drafted by Qatar and Egypt. It had conditioned that the Israeli military would have to vacate the area on Rafah border. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted he would not give up control of the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip of Gaza along the Egyptian border. It turned out to be a key stumbling point for a deal. Another sticking point is how many people (hostages and prisoners) each side would set free, and who they would be. On that question, Hamas has never come to an agreement.
By the time of writing this piece, Qatar and Egypt had drafted a series of revisions that were being discussed with US officials, according to a senior official from one of the mediating countries and two Israeli officials, the New York Times reported.
For months, mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the United States have sought to broker a truce between Hamas and Israel. Two rounds of high-level negotiations last month in Cairo and in Doha ended without a breakthrough. The quest nevertheless continues unabated.
‘Israel not seeking hostages, but war’
With its tough stance on withdrawal of its forces from Gaza, Israel has made clear that it was seeking total annihilation of Hamas and that its declared target of rescuing Hamas-held hostages seems to have been abandoned. Even US President Biden last week issued a one-word rebuke of Netanyahu’s unwillingness to yield on the conditions for a cease-fire. Questioned about whether the Israeli PM was doing enough to get back the hostages, Biden said simply, “No.”
Now, massive protests have broken out across Israel demanding that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu enact a ceasefire and hostage deal to free the remaining 100 or so Israeli captives held in Gaza.
But, the Israeli troops are advancing deep into the West Bank and killing civilians almost daily. It reflects their intent that they are out for a final showdown with Palestinians, whether they are from Hamas or Fatah, or simply civilians.
It must alarm the world, if not downright shame it.
-Dr Shujaat Ali Quadri is the Vice President of India Palestine Solidarity Forum and investigative Journalist. He contributed this article to the Palestinian Information Center (PIC).
