Daily Times

As fire burns Beirut, the infernal flames of isolation and genocide engulf the Palestinians for whom ‘existence is an imperfect tense that never becomes present’. One of the imperial petrol pumps, carved out of the ashes of Ottoman Empire, has officially recognized the Zionist state of Israel. These tribes with colourful flags aresatellites than states that help imperialism sustain its hegemonic designs. The editor-in-chief of ‘Israel’ BiozBismot, according to Tariq Ali, has described the agreement, a mere change in the status of the United Arab Emirates from decades old secret mistress to an official wife in public.

The news of UAE’s affliction with Stockholm syndrome has left the remaining Arabian worldshrouded in a thick frosty blanket of mysterious quietness. It is monitoring the fallouts of this decision closely, if any. For Israel, the formal recognition is a breakthrough, which not only opens the gates of its market to several other Muslim countries but sanctifies itsLebensraum andits aggression against the Palestinians. Saudi kingdom may not join the much-expected queue immediately, but the totalitarian monarchy already under the economic pressure cannot procrastinate for long. In the great imperialist design Arabs—as Suhrawardyonce pointed out—are merely numbers, abstract quantities.

The Zionist state of Israel is not only ‘the symbol of the current crisis of Judaism’ that ‘points towards the end of its “spiritual reality”‘ as envisioned by Horkheimer, but is also the integral part of a soulless capitalistic order, with terror and force inbuilt in it. It is using theinbuilt force of the order against the Palestinians to turn them into numbers, for ‘every number is a resource, and if it is not, it is not worth anything at all. What cannot be used (anymore) is gassed and burnt. There is no time to waste’ (Adorno) and Zionists are wasting no time to erase the Palestinians from the face of the world. “This is a fatal dialectic… characteristic for our age” (Horkheimer).

Contrary to anti-Semitism, the barbaric response of Israel is not directed against the horrible conditions of life but a continuation of them. The Zionists are merely but gleefully passing on to the Palestinians what they suffered under the Nazis.Under the capitalist order all dominant powers behave in identical fashion, it is an existential dilemma of a system that inflicts destruction and Nazis were no different. The ‘image of Jews can be a readymadefor personalization as wrongdoers’, butsocial passions have the life of their own and movements of collective hatred are determined by the social relations of the society.While projecting the image of Palestinians as terrorists, the question of Jewish image has been reopened. Did the middle-class of Germany choose the Jews for their image or as Bordigasuggests capitalism suffering from economic constraints followed passively the line of least resistance? Capitalism organized Jewishholocaust as it is now organizing the death of the Palestinians.

Under the given circumstances, what options dothe world community have, to kneelobsequiously in front of a brute and irrational reality or to join its ranks to fight against it? In the last two decades the question has been raised in Pakistan too, where the ruling class hasalwaysidentified its interestwith the hegemonic interests of imperialism with a slavish urge of conformity to its domination,especially when the Arab stateshave yielded already. The history of covert relation with Israel is long and tortious. During the battle against the Soviets, a journalist incidentally found the officers of Mossad in a hotel at Peshawar, assisting Pakistani generals to defeat the Godless socialism. A few days later his mutilated body was found dumped, proving that kill and dump policy is as old as the relations are.

Israel cannot be wished away, but so does the struggle of the Palestinians. If despite Holocaust Nazis could not liquidate the Jews, the Zionists cannot curb the Palestinians’ resolve of freedom

Musharraf did not veil his enthusiasm to embrace Israel and to cast aside the pro-Palestinian cloak. By recognizing Israel what benefits Pakistan will have? Probably not much because the opportunity has already been seized by the Indians. The merchandise trade between the two countries reached US 5.19 billion in 2011, it marginally fell during COVID. The balance of trade is in Israel’s favour. Israel, after Russia is the largest supplier of military equipment to India amounting to 9 billion $. “In 2017 India represented 49% of Israel’s arms export market… Many of those weapons had been promoted as “Combat Tested” after being used against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the world’s largest open-air prison” (Whitney Webb,2019).

From space, to agriculture, to oil and gas sector, to ideology that reflects economic coercion both countries are cooperating in every field.”The India-Israel relationship is also commonly being framed in terms of a natural convergence of ideas between their ruling BJP and Likud parties (Haaretz).” Fisk notes, “Israel’s export of Zionist nationalism and neo-colonialism – and the accompanying oppression that in practice actually helps to create many of the very terrorist groups they fight against – is just as dangerous as its export of arms”. Indian coercive action in Kashmir has many similarities to Israel’s colonial occupation of Palestine.

Despite, the close economic association, an ordinary Indian is suffering the plight of the daily struggle for survival. The piles of means of destruction do not make a state safe nor does the strength of the army, if people are not prepared to save their country, its defences fall like ninepins. Poland and France in the second world war and Pakistan in 1971 were a few examples where despite powerful armies the countries surrendered meekly.

The strongest argument used in favour of Israel is the existence of the Zionist state as a reality that cannot be wished away. It is true but the counter argument suggests the existence of an apartheid South Africa and Rhodesia, once realities but now are part of the history. The bubonic plague too was once a reality so are COVID and cancer, but no one likes to suffer from these afflictions?

Israel cannot be wished away, but so does the struggle of the Palestinians. If despite Holocaust Nazis could not liquidate the Jews, the Zionists cannotcurb the Palestinians’ resolve of freedom. Pakistan, in relation to the Saudi kingdom and the Gulf Sheikdoms— the constructs of imperialism— stands differently. Despite being the outcome of the ‘prophylactic decolonization’, with its natural resources and a large population necessary to create surplus value, Pakistan has all ingredients to develop into a nation state. It will have to make peace with its people especially with the minority ethnicities and to shun the temptation of exploiting the neighbouring countries like Afghanistan to have access toresources for primitive accumulation.

Barring ammunition and probably some material aid to the ruling classes Israel cannot give Pakistan anything substantial. It can help to sponsor a genocide of the ethnic minorities fighting for their dignified existence as it did in Rwanda and Myanmar and is doing in Palestine. Capitalism believes in usurping the human-created value, but not in abstract human values written in the charter of the UN. The capitalist horror is seen in Baluchistan recently, where a cold-blooded murder of an innocent student has rekindled the scenes of grisly murders of Gaza back in memory. If judged by that standard Pakistani establishment has already qualified to recognize the apartheid state.

The writer, an Australian Pakistani has authored books on socialism and history. He can be reached at saulatnagi@hotmail.com