The author is a writer and research assistant at the Centre for Pakistan and Gulf Studies, Islamabad. His focus is on the foreign policy of Pakistan, and South Asia, and the geostrategic competition, proxy wars, conflicts, and aspirations for hegemony by international and regional powers in the Middle East. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Gaza: An Open-air Graveyard
The world is full of people like Josep Borrell who tend to deceive the masses with their words and make them believe in things that have no meaning. Recently, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stated that Israel’s military actions in the Palestinian conflict have resulted in the creation of the world’s biggest “open-air graveyard.”
Palestinians are known as residents of an “open-air prison” for the fact that Israel has total control of the waters, land, and sea routes going to Gaza, but now, Palestine has also become the world’s biggest “open-air graveyard.” Borrell was right when he described the current situation in Gaza as that. Israel’s military onslaught in Gaza since October 7th has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians and injured over 75,000 civilians. Out of these, two-thirds are women and children.
Europe’s Role in the Palestinian Conflict
Interestingly, it was Britain, a European country, that promised Palestinian land to the Zionists in 1917’s Balfour Declaration. The British foreign secretary at the time, Mr. Arthur James Balfour, on behalf of his government, wrote a letter to Lionel Walter Rothschild, a Zionist leader, and stated:
“His Majesty’s government views with favor the establishment in Palestine of a home for the Jewish people, and will use its best endeavors to facilitate the achievement of this objective.”
This is what led to the practical appearance of the Palestinian conflict by none other than Europeans. Jewish people were killed, tortured, and prosecuted in Europe by Europeans. Still, instead of helping them and accommodating them in Europe to seek forgiveness for their crimes against the Jews, the Europeans thought of throwing Jewish people into the Middle East. They created an unending religious conflict that is still causing the deaths of thousands of innocent natives.
It was Europe that sowed the seeds of the unending Palestinian conflict when it promised land for the creation of the Zionist state in Palestine, which, from a legal and moral perspective, was not theirs to donate to charity in the first place. The attempt to make a home for the Zionists made millions of Palestinians die at the hands of Zionists. The natives of the land were kicked out of their homes to accommodate the illegal Zionist settlers.
The declaration of the state of Israel and the following years resulted in deaths, destruction, and chaos in occupied Palestinian land. Millions were made homeless, and the entire world, especially the Europeans—the real architects of the occupation of Palestinian land—stood silently contributing equally to the sufferings of Palestinians.
The West’s Support for Israel
The occupation and illegal settlements were supported militarily, financially, and politically by Europeans and Americans. Germany and Italy, according to SIPRI, have supplied Israel with crucial military equipment which is being used today in Gaza by Israel. SIPRI also unveiled that Germany had sent 1,000 tank engines to Israel, and the very engines were used in this conflict excessively to invade, kill, and destroy Gaza’s people and property. The Germans are the second biggest military supporters of Israel after the United States of America.
The Germans have also helped subsidize the purchase and manufacturing of “defense goods” for Israel since 1990. In the 1990s, the German government paid DM 880 million to give Israel two Dolphin Class submarines. Additionally, this help has continued and most of the equipment acquired is used in Gaza against Palestinians. In 2023, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said, “At this moment, there is only one place for Germany—the place at Israel’s side.”
“Our history, our responsibility arising from the Holocaust, makes it a perpetual task for us to stand up for the security of the state of Israel.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz
Israel’s major components for F-35s, tanks, missiles, submarines, and helicopters are provided by European countries, making them one of the largest supporters of Israel after the USA in terms of military support and assistance. Furthermore, reports by Campaign Against the Arms Trade state that the United Kingdom has been supplying the Israeli air force, however, due to the deal’s nature, it is hard to know exactly what has been transferred.
The European Network Against Arms Trade has also called on European countries to stop exporting arms and impose an embargo on parties involved in the conflict. It’s hypocritical the way Josep Borrell showed concern for the people of Palestine since the EU is the architect of the Palestinian issue and the biggest contributor and supporter of Israel in its actions against the Palestinians.
The “axis of resistance,” especially Iran, is condemned by the same Europeans for assisting (politically) the Palestinians and Hamas in this conflict against Israel—a job Western leaders should have done to protect human rights violations and the lives of thousands of children and women in occupied Palestine. Iran and its allies, known as the “axis of resistance,” have supported and stood by Hamas in its actions against Israeli aggression.
In a real sense, this was the duty of every country, including the European Union, to perform, as fighting Israel is necessary to uphold the right of self-determination, the right to defend against occupation, and the right to be free in one’s own country and home and to live life without fear of being attacked. The political support of Palestinians and their stance against Israel is not anymore to save Muslims; rather, it has become more of an issue to save humanity. Every single human being must support them because Israel’s actions have turned Gaza into hell and are not stopping any sooner.
The United Nations, the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICJ), Human Rights Watch, and the “rules-based order” were already shrinking but have collapsed since October 7th. Israel has violated every single international law and is systematically killing Palestinians like an apartheid regime. Israel’s war crimes, human rights violations, illegal occupation, and settlements are still ongoing, and the ones who established these institutions—this “rules-based order”—are all complicit in Israel’s actions against Palestinians.
The USA, being the superpower, has lost its credibility, honor, and status since it has openly participated in Israel’s war against Palestinians. A hegemon is only a hegemon if it can create stability and uphold peace. In America’s case, it has only contributed to international instability, destruction, and chaos and is complicit in Israel’s actions.
It no longer holds the reins of the world order and is unable to stop the conflict, even though the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution to establish a permanent ceasefire. Instead of supporting such resolutions, many opposed them by vetoing them just to protect the state of Israel. The world is moving toward a multipolar world and will eventually end this broken system led by the USA and its allies, the EU.
Gaza in Palestine is indeed an “open-air prison,” and now, with the help of Europeans and the USA, it has become the world’s biggest “open-air graveyard,” with 33,000 plus dead bodies lying everywhere on grounds, in mosques, in hospitals, and even on the playing fields of schools and universities. And yes, it’s not Israel’s but America’s and Europe’s doing. The world now, more than ever has to understand that the policies of the USA and Europe are dangerous for the stability and growth of the world and the preservation of international laws.
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