Daily Times

As the spiralling violence between Israelis and Palestinians keeps turning a bloodier note, the whole world is left with no other option but to snap out of its complacency. Breaking all records of ensuing horrors, the latest conflict reaffirms what the ill-starred Palestinians have been crying for decades. That the Israelis are truly the chosen one, at least as far as the international community is concerned.

Since there appears no end to the heart-wrenching sight of tiny coffins, Pakistan has decided to bank on the principal peacekeeping body in New York: to remind them of their due role. Joining hands with Palestinian, Sudanese and Turkish cabinet members, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi is due to participate in an emergency UNGA session. Pakistan seems determined in its advocacy on behalf of the Palestinians’ plight. Meanwhile, expectations continue to mount in the Muslim world for Islamabad to take some concrete action against Israeli outrage. There could not be a more suitable time for us to use our diplomatic clout for the relief of our brethren. This one-sided assault on a people with no army, no advanced weaponry and literally no defence system cannot be defended–even by the most extreme prejudices. It was heartening to see the Pakistani parliament pass a unanimous resolution in support of Palestine at a time when most governments are comfortably basking in heartless silence. But now, it is up to FM Qureshi to steer the emergency session towards a consensus. There already exists a window of opportunity in the form of China, Norway and Tunis. We have the iron-clad support of our ally, Turkey, behind us. While the brigade of Arab states was quick to forge Abraham Accords with Israel on Palestine’s blood-soaked soil, not a finger has been lifted to end this debacle. Going by their half-hearted statements that call for an end to violence, one can be certain as to how twisted the mirage of Islamic brotherhood is in the new age of realpolitik.

However, let’s be honest. In the past, UN resolutions have not been anything but a fruitless clanking of pots and pans. Have we already forgotten how Israel had come into being through a UN midwife (UNGA Resolution 181)? Isn’t admission into the brotherhood of nations the most emphatic support any new state needs? For those fixated on its approval of as many as five pro-Palestinian resolutions last year, has Israel been forced to come to negotiating table ever since?

No one is to make light of the importance of the global peacekeeper. It is a given that pressure from the international community can do wonders in convincing Tel Aviv to stop its butchery. At a time when PM Benjamin Netanyahu is promising to “continue to respond forcefully,” and the Biden administration has greenlighted a $735 million weapon sale to Israel, any course that remotely suggests peace should be our place to turn to. But shouldn’t this process move beyond Israel-bashing to achieve something more lasting? We’ve had enough of “Good Cop, Bad Cop” policies where the so-called champions of peace put out a lackadaisical appeal against violence. Yet, this pandering stands in stark contrast to their deeper ties and multi-million dollar deals.

Plainly put, Palestinians need an end to their ongoing erasure. Tired of burying their loved ones and walking in the rubble of what they once called home, they long for peace; for recognition; for fundamental rights. *