Israeli-Hamas conflict: Impact
For some time now, there has been a relatively peaceful atmosphere in the Middle East, especially between Israelis and Palestinians.
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Suddenly, Hamas broke into the defence of Israel and killed about 1000 Israelis. Israel is retaliating.
The attack by the Hamas was horrific, wicked and merciless.
It has been considered as a terrorist attack.
It is an act of international terrorism.
The occupation and treatment metered out to Palestinians are unbearable and inhuman to a greater extent, and the international community is aware of that.
The various demonstrations going on around the globe against Israel’s military action in Gaza City should achieve equitable relations with demonstrations against international terrorism.
It is an opportunity for the international community from September 11 to date to evaluate the damage caused by international terrorism and evolve mechanisms and methods to reduce its activities.
Threats
According to Ban Ki-moon, a former UN Secretary-General, terrorism constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security.
For him, “the UN Counter terrorist strategy adopted unanimously by the General Assembly in 2006, must be implemented in full and without delay.
Member states must work to implement the strategy nationally, bilaterally, and multilaterally, including through their regional organisation.
Collective action can even be stronger through ultimate agreement on a comprehensive convention against terrorism” (Ban Ki-moon, New York, 2008).
The complexity of the problem does not warrant the horrific attack of Hamas that killed about 1400 Israelis.
We must amplify international condemnation of a massacre that has been retaliated tenfold, but we must equally blow the trumpet of a terrorist attack that sparked the current conflict.
A fair approach to the solution of the problem can end the conflict as it stands now.
But a one-sided condemnation will not resolve the conflict.
The international community should come out with a balanced sympathetic realisation of the pains inflicted on Israelis and Palestinians.
Responsibilities
Hamas has the responsibility to protect the lives of civilians in Gaza by heeding the request of Israel to release hostages as a condition for a possible ceasefire.
If Hamas sees itself as the governing body in Gaza in charge of Palestinians, then it should have known better that retaliation was going to be on a mass scale.
A governing body should be engaging Israel in a peaceful negotiation on matters relating to occupied territories.
If the action of Hamas is linked with other Islamic terrorist groups to annihilate the state of Israel, then they are engrossed in a mistaken philosophy.
Terrorist acts
The October 7 attacks were terrorist acts.
The international community will not endorse any act of terrorism against humanity.
International terrorism has defied the peace and stability in our world.
There is no great ignorance concerning our safety as individuals, states and groups in our community of nations.
The world is witnessing the transformation of terrorism into an international system, transnationalism and the globalisation of social and criminal structures.
Terrorism has thrown our world into universal chaos.
October 7 has created global tension and has affected international relations, sparking arguments in the spheres of international cooperation.
Terrorists are engaged in new organisational and managerial schemes to dictate the pace of the development of our world.
That has brought about new management principles that have undermined the earlier social constructions in many countries, especially Africa.
It has also changed the habitual power codes.
In Africa, the activities of terrorist groups have changed the contours of democracy.
The world must break through the battle against terrorism, or we fail.
The fatal consequence of terrorism globally is clear, and we need concerted international efforts to reduce them.
The expectation of Hamas and other terrorist groups should be to end terrorist activities in the various corners of the globe.
They must rather seek a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The current humanitarian situation in Gaza is irreplaceable agony.
The writer is an initiator at the International Forum on Status of Refugees in the world.
Senior Lecturer, Russian section,
University of Ghana.
E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected]