Israeli strike on Gaza: Recurrence of a costly mistake

Within a few days dozens of innocent people, including women and children, have been killed and many others injured in the Israeli air raids on the coastal Gaza Strip.

The recent upsurge in violence by the Israeli regime in Gaza is just the tip of iceberg. It demonstrates that this regime continues and even intensifies its heinous crimes against the oppressed and defenseless Palestinian people in defiance of human rights principles, international law, UN resolutions and even the basic norms of decency.

We shall not forget the three-week “Gaza Massacre” in 2008. The military machinery of the Israeli regime created an unprecedented horrific human tragedy in the Gaza Strip for more than twenty consecutive days. The occupying regime targeted every human being, every house and every infrastructure in Gaza and resorted to unimaginable criminal acts such as the bombardment of innocent children and women sheltering in the undeclared safe buildings. It even targeted UN humanitarian personnel and local paramedics.

By committing those barbaric crimes, the Israeli regime, once again, challenged the international community, particularly the United Nations and the Security Council, and undermined the most basic values for which the civilized world stands.

Despite enjoying the unquestioned support of the Western bloc, and committing despicable crimes, the Israeli regime experienced a humiliating defeat during its 22-day-long military aggression on Gaza.

Despite the fact that Tel Aviv experienced bitter and painful lessons from its failure in the war on Gaza in 2009 it recently found the situation in the region, fostered by certain powers, favorable to achieve its longstanding expansionist goals in the occupied territories.

It seems that the suicidal and futile efforts of satellite armed terrorist groups in the region coupled with some mischievous attempts to sow sectarian and ethnic discords among nations in the Middle East seduced and misled this brutal regime to take new illusive chance to break up the resistance of the Palestinians.

The international community shall not remain indifferent to this travesty of justice and humanity by Israel.

It is high time for the international community particularly the United Nations and Organization of the Islamic Cooperation, to defend the Palestinians more effectively and take action to put an end to the continued occupation, aggression, and violation of human rights by Israel against the innocent people in Palestine.

It goes without saying that as long as the brutal occupation is not thoroughly addressed and fairly resolved, peace could not prevail in the region. It is now, more than ever, obvious that the question of Palestine constitutes the core of the Middle East conflict and without reaching a just and comprehensive solution to this issue, the Middle East will remain plagued by instability and tension.