AN overlooked aspect of the horrific October 7 attack by Hamas is that it provided Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the pretext he needed to fulfil his dream of occupying the entire Palestine.
On December 30, 2022, Netanyahu dismissed the right of the Palestinians to establish their own independent state by declaring that "the Jewish people have an exclusive and unquestionable right to all areas of the Land of Israel", and therefore, his government "will promote and develop settlements" in those regions ... the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan, Judea, and Samaria."
Then, at the UN General Assembly on September 22, just 15 days before the Hamas attack, he mocked all UN resolutions favouring an independent Palestine by holding aloft a map of Israel, which included all Palestinian territories, including Gaza and the West Bank.
Confirmation of Netanyahu's determination to carry out his cartographic threat came on October 9, when he warned that Israel's response to Hamas will "change the Middle East." By October 12, a whopping 6,000 bombs had been dropped on Gaza, killing thousands of civilians, including a large number of children, and displacing over a million.
Palestinophobia
The brutally disproportionate response sparked huge protests across the globe. But despite their peaceful nature, several European nations banned them. In France-the land of liberty, equality, and fraternity-a legal challenge to the ban failed when a court upheld it, citing "the serious risk of disturbing public order" amid "heightened tensions linked to the events in the Gaza Strip with a rise in anti-Semitic acts in France". Germany too disallowed many rallies "to stop public disorder and prevent public anti-Semitism."
Denne historien er fra December 11,2023-utgaven av Outlook.
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Denne historien er fra December 11,2023-utgaven av Outlook.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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The 'Invisible' Dalits
The debate over sub-categorisation of castes is likely to shape the political discourse in the upcoming state elections
Caste Census: To Conquer Or Conserve?
The caste census is generating heated debate, but even its most ardent proponents are not able to articulate a plan about how to use the resulting data
THE FATEFUL COMEDY
Actor-director Rajat Kapoor talks about adapting Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov into a Hindi play
Mad Hatter
When a leader takes off his topi and holds it in his hands while appealing for votes, it signals something extraordinary
Circle Within Circles
The caste question in Muslims.
Backward March
The Maratha reservation question may continue to mire the next government in the state
The 69% Exception
Quota within quota: lessons to be learned from Tamil Nadu
United Indifference
The perils of tweaking tribal identities
Two Nations, Two Destinies
The widely differing balance of power between the military and civilian leadership in India and Pakistan has significantly impacted democracy in the two countries
Crème de la Crème
The mainstream society thinks reservations are against right to equality. It’s high time they are seen in the context of right to justice.