WHEN, if ever, will the United States give up its hypocritical behaviour in world affairs? During media briefings, US officials criticise Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his uninterrupted genocidal war in Palestine, and then send armament worth millions of dollars to the Zionist state to further intensify its killing spree in the Middle East region. And all this has been happening with sickening consistency.

Having said that, the United Nations is not solely responsible for the year-long war; the Muslim world, in fact, is equally responsible for the sustained bloodbath going on in Gaza, the West Bank and now in Lebanon.

Had the leaders in the Islamic world taken a decisive action and exerted pressure on the UN, the US and Israel, things would have been different. But they chose to pay mere lip service.

While the war in the Middle East is aggravating, the world has turned its attention towards the US presidential election as if it would reshape internat-ional dynamics. The fact of the matter is that whoever gets elected, there will not be any respite for the hapless in the Middle East.

Even though Kamala Harris and Donald Trump share different perspectives on the conflict in the Middle East, once in power, they will invariably do everything that suits Israel, for, after all, it provides the US a strategic foothold in a strateg-ically critical region.

The hopes of those at the receiving end of Israeli hostilities in the Middle East are rapidly fading now. Unfortunately, it is complete darkness that has engulfed them. Now they can do nothing but to wait for some Divine intervention to come to their rescue. What a shame it is.

Ahmad Malick
Lahore

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2024