Upon the completion of three years of Israeli military aggression against the Palestinians, there has been no worthwhile response from the international community. Rather than taking meaningful steps to stop the massive human rights violations and genocide of Palestinians, much of the international community, including the Muslim world, has appeared inclined to support and accommodate Israel. This has emboldened the Zionist state to open another front: its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon.It is deeply unfortunate that the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has failed to act in accordance with its mandate concerning Israeli aggression and the killing of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank. General estimates of human losses in Gaza after three years of Israeli military operations range from 74,000 to 100,000 deaths, with approximately 300,000 people wounded. Some independent sources place the death toll at more than 130,000, with children under the age of 15 accounting for approximately 27 percent and women for about 24 percent. In addition, thousands of children have lost both parents during the conflict, while approximately 53,000 children have reportedly lost at least one parent.
The entire population of Gaza has faced repeated displacement, severe hunger, and a chronic lack of safe shelter. Nearly 90 percent of homes and residential facilities have reportedly been destroyed or severely damaged. Schools, hospitals, and basic health services have suffered catastrophic destruction. The elderly who survived the conflict have lost their livelihoods as local economies have collapsed and employment opportunities have disappeared.Temporary ceasefire initiatives and even peace agreements brokered with U.S. involvement have failed to fundamentally alter the situation on the ground. Israel continues to carry out military operations and attacks against Palestinians despite diplomatic efforts and ceasefire arrangements. Meanwhile, there have been inadequate international reconstruction efforts, leaving large sections of the population displaced and unable to return to their homes.
The United States has repeatedly used its veto power in the UNSC against resolutions calling for an end to Israeli military aggression in Gaza. The continued Israeli military attacks against Palestinians constitute, blatant violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. The UNSC could have taken stronger action to prevent the prolonged suffering, yet it has remained largely ineffective.Unfortunately, much of the Western world has supported Israel at multiple levels; militarily, politically, financially, and diplomatically. This unconditional support raises serious questions about Western moral and political values and the consistency of Western standards concerning human rights. More than Israel itself, this one-sided war has exposed the deep contradictions within the political and moral positions of Western governments, particularly in Europe and America.
Since the end of the WW-II, US and its European allies have frequently presented themselves as advocates of human rights, human values, and humanitarian principles. Yet the strong backing provided by the United States, the United Kingdom, and France to Israel, alongside the relative silence of other powerful members of the international system, has generated widespread criticism. Their inaction in the face of the enormous Palestinian death toll is increasingly perceived as tacit support for Israel’s genocide policies.The functioning of the United Nations remains heavily influenced by the five permanent members of the UNSC and, more broadly, by the political and economic power of Europe and America. Consequently, many countries of the Global South perceive the world body as effectively constrained by a small group of powerful states. Since its establishment in 1945, the United Nations has frequently been criticized for decisions that appear to favour powerful states and their strategic interests. Critics argue that it has failed to adequately address some of the fundamental problems confronting the world, particularly in Asia and Africa.
The contemporary Muslim world has failed to protect Palestinian rights. Securing Palestinian rights, sovereignty, and statehood should be regarded as a collective responsibility of Muslim states, particularly through the OIC. Unfortunately, Muslim ruling elites appear to have learned no lessons from the experiences of Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. They should recognize that geopolitical circumstances can change rapidly and that no state can assume that it will remain permanently insulated from regional instability and external intervention.Moreover, with continued U.S. and Western backing, Israel appears to be pursuing a broader regional strategy aimed at strengthening its political, military, and economic influence across the Middle East; a gradual realization of the idea of a “Greater Israel”.
The Israeli genocide of Palestinians raises fundamental questions not only about Israel’s conduct but also about the credibility of the international system, the effectiveness of UNO, the uniformity of Western human-rights policies, and responsibility of Muslim world. The prolonged suffering of the Palestinians warrants anthe urgent need for a more effective international mechanism capable of protecting civilian populations, enforcing international law, and resolving long-standing political disputes through justice, equality, and genuine self-determination.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.