A BLOODBATH is underway in Palestine. In the aftermath of Saturday’s shock blitz by Hamas, which rattled Israel and punctured the myth of its military invincibility, Tel Aviv is on the rampage.

It is responding in the only way it knows: by slaughtering Palestinian civilians. Tel Aviv has announced a “complete siege” of Gaza, cutting off food, water and power to the Strip.

To be clear, Gaza has been under siege since 2007, blocked off by both Israel and Egypt, in effect turning the coastal territory into an open-air concentration camp. Only this time, what little succour reached the territory has also been cut off.

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Israel is treating Gaza as the despots of antiquity treated all people who dared oppose them: by setting alight entire cities and putting their inhabitants to the sword.

The civilian toll on both sides is indeed tragic, and heavy casualties have been reported. The Palestinian fighters should ensure that no civilians are harmed in their operations.

Of course, no such mores can be expected from the Israeli side, as Tel Aviv’s defence minister has said they are fighting “human animals”. If this is the mentality guiding those who run Israel, another Palestinian massacre will be the grim outcome.

What is particularly reprehensible is the selective outrage shown by most Western states. While many a Western leader has shed tears over Israel’s losses during the current hostilities, these same states have been miserly while expressing grief as Palestinians buried their children — murdered by Israel — over the decades.

The immediate need is for the world community to prevent Israel from blockading Gaza, which the UN says is banned under international law, with others noting that Tel Aviv’s tactics come within the ambit of war crimes.

Muslim states particularly need to coordinate with each other and the UN to ensure Palestinians have access to medical care, food and shelter, and are kept safe from Israel’s marauding forces. But for there to be long-lasting peace in the Middle East, the Palestine question needs a just resolution.

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For three quarters of a century, the sons and daughters of Palestine have either been in exile, wandering in foreign lands in search of shelter, or have been brutalised as prisoners living in their own land. The endless Nakba must end.

No half-baked normalisation deal that stabs Palestinians in the back and trades away their right to nationhood can ever succeed; the ceaseless violence and humiliation being heaped upon them will only increase their thirst for revenge from the occupier.

The exclusionary and racist Zionist experiment, backed by empire and supported by the successors of empire, has failed. To end bloodshed in the holy land, and ensure the rights of all its communities, a roadmap for Palestinian statehood is the only answer.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2023