Israel succeeded in what it is good at destroying, killing children and women and assassinating leaders, in killing Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. But the Israelis are only deceiving themselves if they think that through their crimes, they can accomplish success for their colonial project and force the Palestinian people to surrender.
Since its establishment in Palestine in 1948, Israel has committed hundreds of massacres, killing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, ethnically cleansing over seventy per cent of the Palestinian people, destroying 530 villages and towns, and now the entire Gaza strip, it has poisoned Fatah and PLO leader Yasser Arafat, assassinated his deputy Khalil al-Wazir in Tunisia, killed Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Ismael Haniyeh, and assassinated dozens of other Palestinian leaders; but Israel did not achieve victory and did not advance its colonial project an iota.
If Israel could not force the Palestinian people to surrender in 1948, when they were weak and displaced, it would not be able to do so today when they are stronger, more numerous and organised.
The more crimes Israel commits, the more determined the Palestinian people are to continue their struggle to liberate their homeland and achieve their legitimate rights to the return of refugees to their cities and exercise their right to self-determination in their homeland, and new leaders will emerge to lead their march towards freedom.
Israeli arrogance, Western hypocrisy and appeasement of this sadistic monster that it created, armed and protects to serve its interests in the Arab world will only bring more wars, bloodshed and instability in the Middle East and the world at large.
While the US and some Western governments say they support a two states solution instead of holding Israel accountable, for its crimes and systematic violations, they reward it.
The US cannot hide from its complicity and partnership in Israel’s war crimes against the Palestinian and Arab people and destabilisation of the Middle East, which are being conducted with American weapons, financial assistance, political support and protection.
The United States continues to arm Israel to the teeth with the deadliest weapons it produces and finance its budget with around 24 billion US dollars this year alone.
Without this blind and unconditional support, Israel would not dare to challenge the international community, breach international law and resolutions, and continue with its occupation, violations, and crimes. This hypocrisy and double standard is the main reason behind the feeling of animosity and hatred from the international community towards the United States and some other countries.
The influence of the Israeli lobby over the US and other Western governments, especially Britain, Canada, and Australia, has become so powerful that their governments and main opposition parties are captive to it and compete with each other in showing their support for Israel to please its lobby and gain its approval, to the extent of often putting Israel’s interests above their own countries’ national interests and above international law.
The Palestinians have the right to fight for their freedom and independence. Israel, like all colonialists and occupiers, has no right to defend its occupation and an apartheid regime.
No honest person can blame the Palestinians for the conflict and collapse of the peace process, which the Israeli government turned into a process without peace. Occupation, oppression, ethnic cleansing, the building of colonies and apartheid are not the fault of Palestinians.
If Israel and its Western protectors are keen for peace and security and do not want the October 7 operation or even worse to be repeated again, they must learn from history and their experience with the Palestinian people and the fate of all colonialists and apartheid regimes and recognise the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to return, self-determination, and equality.
The Palestinian people will not surrender; they are here to stay and achieve their rights no matter how long it takes and what the sacrifices are. Their history is full of invasions, from the Greeks and Romans to the Crusaders. They only remained in the dark pages of Palestine’s history. The current Zionist invasion will meet the same fate.
The Palestinian people, like all people, are entitled to have the right to live in freedom, peace and security in their homeland. The sooner Israel recognises this reality, the better for everyone.
Ali Kazak is a former Palestinian ambassador and head of delegation to Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific region. He is an expert in Australian-Arab relations and affairs, and author of “Australia and the Arabs”. (In Arabic).
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