IT is difficult to put into words the outrage one feels when looking at the broken, lifeless bodies of Palestinian men, women, and especially children — all victims of Israel’s latest murderous assault on Gaza.

If any other country had been guilty of committing these atrocities, the international community, particularly the self-professed guardians of the rules-based Western order, would have been calling for harsh accountability. But not so for Israel, for whom the rules are always put aside by its benefactors.

While the people of Gaza have been enduring hell on earth ever since the events of Oct 7, Tuesday’s air strike targeting the Al Ahli Hospital marks a new low in this uneven, brutal conflict. This monstrous crime, in which at least 500 people were reportedly killed, has Israel’s footprints all over it, even though Tel Aviv has denied responsibility.

Instead, Israel blames the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, saying the armed group misfired a missile that hit the health facility. The outfit says the accusations are “baseless”.

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While facts are often obscured in the fog of war, it should be remembered that the Israeli military is well-versed in the art of obfuscation, and that Tel Aviv has a rich history of carrying out massacres of Palestinian civilians, from 1948 onwards.

No one, except for its ardent supporters, is likely to believe Israel’s denial of responsibility, since its hands have been covered in the blood of Palestinian non-combatants for decades now. In the most recent hostilities, over 3,300 have been murdered by Israel, including 1,000 children. Were these 1,000 minors all Hamas operatives?

What is just as reprehensible as Israel’s unrestrained barbarity is the Western hypocrisy in this conflict. Many Western leaders have made a beeline for Tel Aviv in solidarity with the murderous regime, the latest amongst them Joe Biden.

While offering lukewarm condolences over the hospital outrage, Mr Biden warmly embraced the Israeli prime minister while observing that the “other team” was likely responsible for this odious crime. Gloating over his high-profile visitor’s presence, Benjamin Netanyahu termed the conflict a struggle “between the forces of civilisation … and barbarism”. Certainly, Tel Aviv’s brutal behaviour over the decades, and today, qualifies as barbaric.

It is highly unlikely the West will muzzle Israel. And the Muslim world must take a stand that goes beyond rhetoric, and stops the slaughter in Palestine.

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During an OIC meeting in Jeddah on Wednesday, the Iranian foreign minister proposed an oil embargo and sanctions on Israel, as well as called on Muslim states with relations with Tel Aviv to break these off.

There are echoes here of the ‘oil weapon’ deployed by Arab states during the 1973 Middle East conflict. Certainly, these measures should be considered in solidarity with Palestine’s battered population.

Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2023