Since
the first week of
Israel’s war on Gaza, now approaching its third month, the US
and some Israeli officials and media commentators began talking about the
day-after scenario, meaning what happens when the guns go silent and the fog of
war is dispelled. Most of these scenarios assumed one thing: That Israel would
be able to achieve its two declared objectives from the war by uprooting Hamas
from
Gaza and freeing Israeli captives being held there.
اضافة اعلان
But
now, after more than 80 days of Israeli carpet-bombing and artillery shelling, which
even CNN now admits that it is “indiscriminate” and that “nearly half of the
Israeli munitions dropped on
Gaza are imprecise dumb bombs,” destroying more
than 60 percent of the Strip’s buildings, Israel is far from fulfilling either
goal.
The
bombing of
Gaza has been described as the most vicious since the Vietnam War.
More than 20,000 Gazans have been killed, 70 percent of whom were women and
children. More than 50,000 have been injured so far. Aid trucks passing through
the Rafah crossing daily are insufficient, according to the UN, which also says
that
Gazans now face the spread of disease and famine. Many thousands will die
because of the cold and lack of medicine, food, and clean water.
Still,
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that Israel will continue to
fight until victory; now a goal that appears elusive if not impossible. There
are mounting calls in Israel for his dismissal while support for the war among
Israelis is dropping by the day. Hamas and its allies continue to rain rockets
on Israeli towns and cities while inflicting a heavy toll on the invading army.
But despite all this, Netanyahu and his Far Right coalition partners want the war to continue at any price. The Israeli premier is refusing to listen to the Israeli relatives of the captives, who now support a deal that would end the war and secure the safe return of their loved ones. The Biden administration is losing public support at home, with almost half of the American people, if not more, now wanting a lasting ceasefire. The US is becoming isolated even among its allies, most of whom now disagree with giving Israel the green light to massacre its way in Gaza.
Support
for
Gaza and Palestine has reached record levels around the world, aside from
the obstinate position of the US government, with the majority now supporting
calls for a permanent ceasefire. Much has changed over the past two and a half
months. Most of the Western mainstream media (MSM) are now critical of Israel’s
handling of the war, and an increasing number of pundits are now accusing
Israel of carrying out a losing battle while pointing to the possibility that
it is also committing war crimes. On social media, young people from all over
the world are lining up to condemn the war and voicing solidarity with the
Palestinians.
But
despite all this, Netanyahu and his Far-Right coalition partners want the war
to continue at any price. The Israeli premier is refusing to listen to the
Israeli relatives of the captives, who now support a deal that would end the
war and secure the safe return of their loved ones. The Biden administration is
losing public support at home, with almost half of the American people, if not
more, now wanting a lasting ceasefire. The US is becoming isolated even among
its allies, most of whom now disagree with giving Israel the green light to
massacre its way in Gaza.
But as
of the day after, Netanyahu and the US don’t see eye-to-eye. Where the Israeli
prime minister, now fighting for his political life, wants long-term Israel
security control of Gaza, which means open-ended occupation, Biden and even
most Israelis disagree.
An
Egyptian proposal to secure a long-term hiatus in return for freeing the
captives while opening the path for a joint Hamas
-Palestinian Authority control of Gaza, without being specific about Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, has
reportedly been rejected by the Hamas military wing. It is no secret that a
stop of the war now would mean a resounding defeat of Israel, a fall of the war
government, and a reckoning for Netanyahu.
But
what most omit from possible solutions and scenarios are two things: One,
Gazans want an immediate end to the war now because every day means hell for
those who are lucky to survive the day. The
US blind support for Israel means
that every minute, every hour, and every day, more Palestinian civilians are
killed. That cannot be tolerated by the international community any longer as
well.
The second issue is not who will rule Gaza once the bombing stops but how will the international community step in to save millions who are displaced and living in catastrophic conditions. Israel must not be allowed to decide how many aid trucks are allowed to pass through Rafah and other crossings when the lives of millions are at stake. The world must make recompense for its failure to uphold international humanitarian law and save many thousands of innocent lives because the US and Israel believed that so-called collateral damage was acceptable in this case.
The
second issue is not who will
rule Gaza once the bombing stops but how will the
international community step in to save millions who are displaced and living
in catastrophic conditions. Israel must not be allowed to decide how many aid
trucks are allowed to pass through Rafah and other crossings when the lives of
millions are at stake. The world must make recompense for its failure to uphold
international humanitarian law and save many thousands of innocent lives
because the US and Israel believed that so-called collateral damage was
acceptable in this case.
But what
is also important and urgent is that an independent investigation of what
happened on October 7, and after must be
carried out, and pronouncements must be made. It was ironic that the chief
prosecutor of the
International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, accepted an
invitation to meet the Israeli families of those held captive. Yet, he would
not come close to the
Gaza Strip or make a strong statement on allegations, to
be verified, of massive Israeli war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic
cleansing charges against Israel in Gaza.
The
credibility of the ICC and its reason to exist are now in question as Khan and
the court remain silent on what Israel is
committing in Gaza. By the last
count, about 100 journalists and their families have been killed by Israel.
Doctors, medics, university professors, activists, poets, artists, UN workers,
and thousands of children have been killed. Hospitals, universities, schools,
mosques, churches, civic centers, and residential buildings have been
demolished. There are reports of mass executions of civilians. If Khan is
unable to act, then he should resign now. Otherwise, he is not fit to hold
office, and he is discrediting the ICC and its purpose.
There
have been dozens of cases filed at the ICC concerning the killing of
journalists, children, and crimes by Israeli officers, and the complicity of
high-profile political figures in war crimes. Khan cannot ignore these cases,
all of which name Israel as the main culprit.
The
day after for Gaza is not only about who would rule the besieged and now leveled
strip of land where 2.1 million Palestinians, 70 percent of whom were already
displaced or refugees, used to live.
Netanyahu,
his lieutenants, and his generals are war criminals. They should be
investigated and tried. Those who supported this genocidal war must also be
named and charged. In a perfect world, this would be the right thing to do. But
our is not an ideal world, and the war on Gaza should set a process to create a
world order where warmongers and killers of babies should become an example so
that no repeat of the
carnage in Gaza can become possible ever again.
Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.
Disclaimer:
Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Jordan News' point of view.
Read more Opinion and Analysis
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
