The violence between Israeli and Palestinians is taking an ugly and unpredictable turn. A Jewish holy site was torched allegedly by Palestinians yesterday. According to a Palestinian official, the situation is explosive and is likely to worsen in the coming days. Thirty-seven Palestinians have been killed since the current cycle of violence began while the death toll of Israelis is seven. Two Palestinians died after being shot by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip yesterday. Responding to the gravity of the situation, the 15-member UN Security Council met in an emergency session to discuss the two weeks of violence in Jerusalem and the territories.
This a conflict the world is likely to watch rather than intervene because Israel has been allowed to flagrantly violate international laws and continue with its land grab and aggression against Palestinians. The latest violence is the result of the desperation of Palestinians and an expression of their helplessness and protest at the inaction of their own leaders and the international community, including Arabs.
The world should take note of the excessive use of force by Israel, which always justifies the wanton killings of unarmed Palestinians, including women and children, in the name of self-defence. Tel Aviv is sensitive to criticism of this excess by the West. Israeli officials bristled on Thursday at suggestions by the US that it is using unnecessary force. Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon accused Washington of
‘misreading’ the conflict and the Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called the US observation ‘foolish’. But Israel is plain wrong. The world knows its atrocities and excesses, and is now ready to speak what they see.
In every conflict, Israel resorts to lies, distortions and underreporting to hide its atrocities. But in this age of WhatsApp and instant photos, the Jewish state will succeed less. Acts of mindless cruelty by trigger-happy Israeli soldiers have often been captured on camera and circulated worldwide, causing instant and huge embarrassment to the Jewish state which prides itself on being a democracy. In this two-week conflict too one picture has gone viral – that of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy lying bleeding on the ground after being shot for allegedly stabbing two Israelis, as a man standing nearby shouted at him to die. Interestingly, the video was uploaded by both Palestinians and Israelis. A propaganda war ensued. In a desperate bid to contain the damage, Israel is circulating photos of the boy being treated in a hospital while Palestinians say he has died.
US and some other countries have called for a halt to the violence. Until that is achieved, Israel must be asked to refrain from using excessive force•
The violence between Israeli and Palestinians is taking an ugly and unpredictable turn. A Jewish holy site was torched allegedly by Palestinians yesterday. According to a Palestinian official, the situation is explosive and is likely to worsen in the coming days. Thirty-seven Palestinians have been killed since the current cycle of violence began while the death toll of Israelis is seven. Two Palestinians died after being shot by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip yesterday. Responding to the gravity of the situation, the 15-member UN Security Council met in an emergency session to discuss the two weeks of violence in Jerusalem and the territories.
This a conflict the world is likely to watch rather than intervene because Israel has been allowed to flagrantly violate international laws and continue with its land grab and aggression against Palestinians. The latest violence is the result of the desperation of Palestinians and an expression of their helplessness and protest at the inaction of their own leaders and the international community, including Arabs.
The world should take note of the excessive use of force by Israel, which always justifies the wanton killings of unarmed Palestinians, including women and children, in the name of self-defence. Tel Aviv is sensitive to criticism of this excess by the West. Israeli officials bristled on Thursday at suggestions by the US that it is using unnecessary force. Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon accused Washington of
‘misreading’ the conflict and the Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan called the US observation ‘foolish’. But Israel is plain wrong. The world knows its atrocities and excesses, and is now ready to speak what they see.
In every conflict, Israel resorts to lies, distortions and underreporting to hide its atrocities. But in this age of WhatsApp and instant photos, the Jewish state will succeed less. Acts of mindless cruelty by trigger-happy Israeli soldiers have often been captured on camera and circulated worldwide, causing instant and huge embarrassment to the Jewish state which prides itself on being a democracy. In this two-week conflict too one picture has gone viral – that of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy lying bleeding on the ground after being shot for allegedly stabbing two Israelis, as a man standing nearby shouted at him to die. Interestingly, the video was uploaded by both Palestinians and Israelis. A propaganda war ensued. In a desperate bid to contain the damage, Israel is circulating photos of the boy being treated in a hospital while Palestinians say he has died.
US and some other countries have called for a halt to the violence. Until that is achieved, Israel must be asked to refrain from using excessive force•
