The world must unite against war crimes

A joint summit of Arab and Islamic nations, albeit after a month of genocide by Israel and over 10,000 deaths, have met in Riyadh - Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit - to discuss their stance on the matter, and demanded that world powers including the US must take necessary steps to end the genocide of Palestinians carried out by Israel. The demands include that the US must stop supplying weapons to Israel and arrangements should be made for humanitarian aid to reach Gaza from outside. The Arab nations also stated that what Israel is doing right now is not self-defence but war crimes and genocide. The resolution stated that Israel is violating international laws and norms. The international community and the UN Security Council have failed to prevent it. Arab Islamic nations including Turkey and Iran met at a time when the world had to stand by and watch Israel violating all human rights in its attack on Gaza. According to the official toll, over 12,000 Palestinians have died so far. Ten lakh people have been displaced and have nowhere to go. The rest of them do not have access to food, water, and electricity. Half the buildings in Gaza have either been fully demolished or damaged to the extent of becoming useless. The UN Secretary-General called Gaza a graveyard of children because there is not an inch of space left there to call safe. Murder and demolition of buildings are happening in the West Bank as well. Since October 7, IDF and Jewish colonial settlers have killed close to 150 Palestinians in the West Bank. People across the world are protesting against the cruel attacks. Activists from various countries , backgrounds and schools of thought have come together against the genocide. However, many governments are still backing the massacre. It is at such a juncture that a comity of nations including the major countries of the region, made a call from Riyadh to stop the carnage.

Also read: Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit adopts resolution on Israeli aggression against Palestinians

World powers including the US are backing Israel's specious claim of self-defence by highlighting the incidents of October 7 by even silencing the voices from Palestine, especially Gaza, and those who are speaking for Gaza. Several news articles related to Hamas' actions on October 7 have been debunked since then. Israel's Army and people close to the incident have clarified that the "incidents" did not actually happen. It is an established international law that a population under occupation has the right to armed resistance against the coloniser. What happened on October 7 was a resistance struggle. For the past few decades, 23 lakh people in Gaza have been living in a concentration camp designed by Israel. In the past 25 years, Israel has waged six illegal and unethical wars against Gaza. 14,000 people died in those attacks alone. 90% of children in Gaza suffer from PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) from constant attacks. In the first six months of 2023 alone, 400 children died in Gaza because Israel did not allow them to go to the West Bank for treatment. Lakhs of people who live in this narrow strip of land have no dignity of freedom because Israeli settlers have taken it away. They are also denied access to the facilities and basic resources needed for survival. Israel's zionist government and its allies have closed all avenues of any political solution to the issues including the non-violent methods. All this happened before October 2023. World powers who backed the feigned lament of Israel have a big hand in what is happening in Palestine today. The Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit in Riyadh is relevant to expose the lies of October 7 and put the issues of Palestine in the right historical perspective.

Also read: Saudi Arabia calls out ‘double standard’ in world's response to Israel-Hamas war

The Summit should also be the beginning of a world order that places truth and justice above propaganda and manipulation. People who fell for the efforts to normalise the ulterior motives of Israel and get them global acceptance are also starting to see the conspiracy now. As the Summit in Riyadh pointed out, we need precise actions more than mere words. It is time to start thinking about empowering the mechanisms like the UN and developing anti-colonial solidarity globally. It is significant that people across the world including Jews, in countries that support the zionist state despite their atrocities, are now out in the streets, defying their governments' stand, in support of Palestine and speaking against the atrocities committed by Israel. The majority of world's population is on the side of justice. The world should be able to protect these good people and isolate the bloodthirsty governments.

Also read: Saudi leads with millions of dollars in aid as Arab world unites for embattled Gaza