Writing can seem at times an exercise in futility. Lots of articles have been written on the tragedy of Gaza. Angry demonstrations have filled the streets of virtually all the capitals of the world. The ICJ has issued decisions against the Israeli government and arrest warrants for criminals of war such as Benjamin Netanyahu. Calls for humanitarian ceasefires have been voiced by many, including the UN and the EU.
In fact, even in Tel Aviv there were demonstrations calling on the right-wing government of Netanyahu to reach a deal with Hamas to release the hostages and put an end to the genocidal war against the Palestinian people. Unfortunately, despite all these pressures, the ferocious and criminal war continues.
We have grown accustomed, not to say callous, to the horror scenes in Gaza and the West Bank. Pictures of thousands of bodies of children wrapped in white shrouds are streamed daily on TV channels. The scenes of Palestinian women, men and children roaming bewildered in the dusty streets of Gaza amid ruins have become common place on all TV channels.
The horrible scenes of ruined schools, hospitals, homes and torn-out tents do not seem to surprise most of us anymore. Nothing, absolutely nothing, seems to stop the sadistic Israeli war machine, which continues to kill and destroy unabated, without shame, guilt or remorse.
Notwithstanding all this bloodshed and destruction, the Israeli war cabinet arrogantly continues its pathetic attempt to justify the unjustifiable. Netanyahu and his cohorts just repeat their mantra that the ultimate goal is to destroy Hamas and free the hostages.
Neither goal has been attained. Hamas still stands defiant with all its bruises, and the only release of hostages has been achieved through negotiations. It seems to me, in fact, that this Israeli war-bent government cares very little for the release of its own citizens.
It is a government that thrives on war, expanding its hostilities to the West Bank and provoking confrontations with Lebanon and Iran. It is a government driven by a dangerous ideology, as manifested in the denial by the Israeli Knesset of the very idea of a Palestinian state.
The ultra-right elements among Israeli politicians, such as the notorious Ben Gvir, call for the annexation of the West Bank, referring to it by the biblical name Judea Somaria. These elements play on the religious sentiments of the Jewish people, nourishing the belief that the ruins of the Temple will be found under the Aqsa Mosque.
Israel wants no peace and no end to the war- Saadun Suayeh
With all due respect to all beliefs, extremist ideologies taking the guise of any religion are dangerous as they perpetuate myths and lead to hatred and bigotry. Unscrupulous politicians exploit these myths for their own designs and schemes.
Instead of fostering the idea of a Jerusalem in which the followers of Islam, Christianity and Judaism can worship freely in a city which should be a capital of peace for the whole world, the likes of Gvir would turn it into an altar for hatred. Here lies the danger of the current Israeli government and the mindset of its leaders.
The truth is written all over the wall. Israel, under its current leadership, wants no peace and no end to the war. They think Palestinians have no right to exist and only hinder their ultimate grandiose schemes. Therefore, even if there was no Hamas, Israel would invent it to justify the annihilation of the Palestinian people.
Unfortunately, the United States continues to support these dangerous policies, or just turn a blind eye, doing harm not only to Palestinians but also the long-term interests of the Jewish people themselves to live in peace with their neighbours.
The dangerous policies and intentions of the Israeli war cabinet, as the war has been raging on for approximately a year, should be obvious by now to all in their naked, ugly truth, except for those who refuse to see. The conscience of the world needs the courage of the child who shouted: “The emperor has no clothes!”
Saadun Suayeh is a former ambassador of Libya to Malta.