Gaza Siege to Israel’s Isolation! Just a matter of time?

The world is being completely asymmetrical in the terms of peace. Middle East, Eastern Europe and Africa are struck with wars. Hatred is rampant. Violent political ideologies are mushrooming from every nook and corner of the world. More wars with more hatred and more bloodshed would be the ultimate folly at this time. More chaos is the last thing humanity can afford!

Gaza is not only about Muslims anymore. It was and it is about humanity. Gone are the days when millions of people could be massacred, pogroms be run, apartheid be nationalized and nobody would know. This is the world with information age. Nothing dreadful or inhumane can be kept hidden behind anything. Even corporate media cannot control the information dissemination. Despite all its ills, social media has completely changed the scenario of access to information. It has changed the way war crimes could be hidden. Social media is also becoming a strong support for electronic media, not only in the terms of marketing but also as an information and opinion resource. The free speech on social media has considerably affected the media aspect of international politics and peace promotion. This evolving and new budding dimension of media has affected the recent episode of Gaza conflict as well. In 2008, for example, when social media was not much popular, the war couldn’t get the needed coverage. While, now, in 2014, despite of strong Israeli propaganda to cover the brutal side of the war, word got out.

The Jewish community has faced worst horrible apartheid in the modern history, i.e. the holocaust. After the Second World War was over, knowing what happened with millions of human beings due to a racist fascist ideology, the whole world felt entirely disgusted towards the war crimes and became completely sympathetic towards Jewish community. So much so that their God-promised land was returned to them, holocaust denial became a crime and Jews were given special privileges and open hearts around the world.

However, not a century has passed that the things have changed. The state of Israel has come under the influence and rule of religious fanatics backed by world's influential corporations and a super power and this power-high has turned it into a rogue state. Lately, the thought has entrenched into the minds of the leaders of state of Israel that they have become invincible. Iron dome, US backing and complex Middle East politics can make one invincible but cannot guarantee the same from the reaction of the civilized world, which constitutes the international arena of politics. Where, in this industrial and information age, international relations do matter - a lot.

Israel and along-with the state of Israel, Jews are losing all the support and respect they received in the last so many decades from the world. After 1960s, if general Muslim population were the only kind that had any problem from Zionist agenda due to local politics, it is the whole world now, feeling disgusted due to humanitarian reasons. Ireland has protested, Israeli ambassador was called in Brazil, Israeli football team was attacked by a pro-Palestinian mob in Austria, Argentina has cancelled the dual nationality of Israeli passport holders and Bolivia has declared Israel a terrorist state and has suspended 30 years old free visa travel deal. These are some real big blows in international politics. Among all these, a rising temperature of anti-Semitism can also be felt.

Liberal and humanist voices, albeit few, among the Jewish community have already started speaking up, while many western intellectuals and politicians including John Kerry, Noam Chomsky, Stephen Hawking and George Galloway have also showed their concerns. Sadly, common Jews have started feeling the heat and they can no more turn a deaf ear towards the barbaric way of forwarding Zionist agendas of war-mongers.

Very few people know the difference between Judaism and Zionism, the same way they are oblivious of the difference between Islam and Islamism. Not all Jews are Zionists and they are the best lawyers for humanity at this time. It is a high time for the sane voices among Jewish community to stand up and speak up, against the atrocities done by the state of Israel against the civilians in Gaza; particularly women and children. Similarly, Muslims need to realise that Hamas's role is in no way progressive or beneficial towards Palestinians.

The world is already falling apart, it is not wise to speed up the process by bringing up more hatred and violence into the equation. Moreover, before the Gaza siege turns into Israel’s siege because of international isolation or blows a new wind of anti-Semitism, the state of Israel needs to put things into perspective. The religious and medieval tribal mentality has to end in order to preserve humanity, to sustain peace and to stop hatred.