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Ever since the latest round of surprise Hamas incursion into Israel and killing and taking hostage of civilians in October last, the powder keg Middle East has been itching to burst into a conflagration. With the Israeli retaliation of brutal forces unleashed on the Palestinians in Gaza, human civilisation has now become a helpless witness to one of the worst genocides of modern time. The latest incendiary to this already explosive situation is the Iranian attack on Israel around midnight of April 13 last. Iran and its allies launched a barrage of over 300 missiles, drones and rockets at Israel in retaliation for Israeli air strike on Iranian consulate in Syria in which seven people including two generals of Iran's armed forces were killed.
Since then the two powerful foes in the Gulf have threatened each other of more deadly attacks. Given the hawkish leadership in the Jewish state, it would by now have retaliated with counter offensive against Iran. But with Israeli premier Netanyahu's mentor US president Joe Biden, thankfully, expressing his unwillingness to join in the party of retaliatory action against Iran may have given enough cause for the former to think twice before starting an offensive. Maybe, Biden has been prompted to announce such a wise decision because of the US national election. The anti-Israeli sentiment among the common American citizens is growing.
Yet you never know. Biden is known for maintaining a double standard in foreign policy. At a time he was sending consignments of deadly weapons for use against the Palestinians in Gaza, he also went for air drop of food and relief materials there. So, his words cannot be taken in their face value. Former British premier and now foreign minister on a visit to Jerusalem, however, clearly spells out that Israel is bent on launching an offensive against Iran any time. In the meantime, Netanyahu has held meetings with his war cabinet to decide on its response to Iranian attack. He goes further to illustrate that Israel will 'make its own decision how to defend itself'.
This is important. The indication is clear that the Western big powers which usually support Israel are trying to prevent an escalation of war in the Middle East. More importantly, the European Union has more or less reached a consensus to recognise Palestine as an independent country. By the time this write-up gets published, the result of the voting on full membership of Palestine to the United Nations at its Security Council is likely to be known. Palestine has been trying for full membership since 2011 but it was granted only the status of an observer in 2012. Several times did it and its supporters apply for full membership only to be thwarted by US veto. This time may be no exception given the statement of Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US ambassador to the UN. She opined that full membership will not help the 'Palestinians with statehood'. Pray, why not?
That the war has not escalated yet has stronger reasons behind it. This is the Chinese and Russian support for Iran. Military hardware and advanced defensive system it received from Russia have certainly bolstered its capability to defend against Israeli air and missile attacks. The telephonic conversation between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi following the Iranian attack on Israel is particularly significant. In his statement, the Chinese FM has categorically mentioned that Iran is capable of defending itself against Israeli offensive. Over the years, Russia and Iran have come closer, thanks to Western sanctions against both of them, in military cooperation. Iran has defied Western sanctions to supply drones to Russia in its war against Ukraine.
So the Middle East conflict is unlikely to be confined to the region. In fact, it unfolds the spectre of a far wider war, maybe, a possible Third World War. This possibility, however, may serve as both its deterrence and a cataclysmic end of humanity. Why deterrence? It is because of the possibility of a full-scale world war which every sane person would like to avoid. Big powers supporting Israel must as well realise that its carnage in Gaza is the ultimate shame for this civilisation. The people who suffered Hitler's 'Final Solution', a euphemism for extermination of the Jewish people from Europe, must be made aware of their crime against humanity in the form of the genocide being carried out against the Palestinians who are the people of the land.
The world survived many provocations when the Soviet Union and the Western powers were on the verge of a Third World War because of the fire powers on both sides. This time Russia is no longer the Soviet Union but it has got on its side China that has fast come up as a world power in terms of both economy and military might. Hopefully, sanity will prevail or if somehow things go out of hands, the planet will get destroyed. Even in case of a regional war, oil supply will be terribly hampered and its price will soar beyond limit with unimaginably catastrophic impact on economies all across the globe. So, it is important to respect the sanctity of lives everywhere and stop aggressions on the Palestinians and the Ukrainians. Humanity desperately needs to rediscover its lost soul.