THE PALESTINE-ISRAEL CONFLICT in the Eyes of former PM of Malaysia, Mahathir Muhammad

Desk

[post-views]

Arshad Mahmood Awan

The conflict between Israel and Palestine is one of the most complex and protracted in modern history. It involves issues of national identity, religion, land, sovereignty, security, human rights, and international law. The conflict has its roots in the late 19th century, when Zionism emerged as a political movement that sought to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine, then under Ottoman rule. The Balfour Declaration of 1917, issued by the British government, endorsed the idea of a Jewish homeland in Palestine, which led to an influx of Jewish immigrants to the region. Following World War II and the Holocaust, international pressure mounted for the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine, leading to the creation of Israel in 1948. The establishment of Israel and the war that followed and preceded it led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who became refugees, sparking a decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people.

The conflict has been marked by violence, including militant attacks by Palestinian militants and military operations by Israel. The United States and other countries have played a key role in attempting to broker peace, but many obstacles remain, including the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the status of Jerusalem, and the ultimate fate of Palestinian refugees. Numerous peace negotiations have taken place over the years, but a lasting peace agreement has remained elusive. The recent flare-up of violence between Israel and militants in the Gaza Strip — which saw Israel storm with heavy troops backed by drone strikes in the most expansive Israeli military operation in the Gaza in two decades — has brought new attention to an old problem. The violence has also exposed the deep divisions within Israeli society and among Palestinians, as well as the challenges faced by the Biden administration and the international community in addressing the conflict. It seems the conflict is attracting more international players into the conflict.
A critical evaluation of the conflict would require a careful analysis of the historical context, the perspectives and interests of the parties involved, the role of external actors, and the potential solutions and their implications. Such an evaluation would also need to consider the ethical and moral dimensions of the conflict, such as the human rights violations committed by both sides, the suffering of civilians caught in the crossfire, and the responsibility of the international community to uphold international law and humanitarian norms. A critical evaluation would also acknowledge the complexity and diversity of opinions within each side, as well as the commonalities and shared aspirations of both peoples. A critical evaluation would not take sides or assign blame but rather seek to understand the causes and consequences of the conflict and explore ways to achieve a just and lasting peace.

However, Dr Mahatir Muhammad, former prime minister of Malaysia, has explained the analytical reasons for the Israel-Palestine conflict. The analysis is precise but demonstrates the statesmanship of Mahathir Muhammad. The precise reasons are explained in the following.

The reactions to the latest hostility between Palestinians and the Israelis actually underscores why the conflict, which has been more than seven decades, would not find a solution.
Firstly, the responses that came from powerful Western nations and their apparatus, including their media, are hypocritical, bigoted and pathological.
Instead of addressing the conflict for what it actually is, they chose to continue with their deceptive narrative that it is an attack on Israel by terrorists – their blame being obviously against Hamas, the Hezbollah and Iran.
With that narrative, they stoke fear in the Western community, claiming that it is an attack on democracy and peace loving people.
With that, the US in particular feel justified to extend military support to Israel to “retaliate” against Palestinians attacks.
All these are far from the truth. Instead they are outright lies which had been perpetuated unashamedly by Western leaders and their media.
The truth is actually very simple.
For decades, the Israelis had been committing war crimes, massacres, genocide and unthinkable atrocities against the Palestinians.
These are not one-off acts but rather systematically conducted without respite throughout the seven decades.
Apart from Palestinian land which the Israelis acquired illegally through unilateral agreements and treaties with former occupiers of Palestine, the Israeli settlers have been forcefully seizing lands and farms belonging to Palestinians.
The Palestinians are chased out of their land and any attempt to seek some form of restitution from the Israeli authorities are met with violence backed most times by the Israeli security forces namely the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).
The Palestinians, pushed to the corner, while Gaza was turned into an open air prison, attempted sporadic retaliations, which in turn were met with the full force of the IDF with weapons supplied by superpowers in particular the US.
This episode is not any different from previous retaliations except that probably this time around they are more focussed with a bit more assistance externally.
But the Western powers and their apparatus continue with their lies, with their narratives that the hostility is an act of terror committed by terrorists, ignoring the fact that it is retaliation by a people whose freedom and rights to their land had been forcefully taken away from them.
They refuse to view the hostility is committed by freedom fighters who are up against an injustice committed by an apartheid regime which had been perpetrating genocide on the Palestinians.
The Western powers and the US are party to apartheid, genocide and crimes against humanity for as long as they support the heinous Israeli regime.
With that, any attempt towards finding a just and fair solution for the Palestinians becomes an exercise in futility.
In the meantime, the Israelis can be expected to carry out their genocide with impunity and with total disregard of international laws.