Palestine’s history has been that of the nakbas (read: catastrophe), naksas (read: setback) and overall negation (read: pure evil done to them by vile Israel). The Palestinians’ struggle for basic survival has now even overtaken their struggle for a political identity — for a political identity depends on the existence of the personhood of those demanding it, and this existence is dragging itself by its sore, blistered feet on the tightrope of death.
When we talk about the Israel-Palestine conflict, we get stuck in a strange loop in time. Almost a century has passed, but the ominous past still lingers in the present — now, only emboldened in its pursuit for mass destruction — staring the entire world in their helpless eyes as it devilishly proceeds openly persecuting innocent lives, all while shamelessly live-streaming and broadcasting it. If this has not been the worst bit already — those voicing concerns over this moral depravity are being silenced by supposedly democratic world governments, who are directly and indirectly complicit in this monstrous genocide.
The brave ones at the front lines, bearing their all to bring the truth to us are meeting a painful fate. Millions have been brutally murdered by the Israel Defense Forces, and to add to this tragic number, in recent news, 20 more people were killed in an attack on Nasser Hospital on 26 August 2025. 5 of them were journalists from Reuters, Associated Press and Al Jazeera. Ahmed Abu Aziz, aged 29; Hussam al-Masri, aged 49; Mariam Abu Daqqa, aged 33; Mohammed Salama, aged 24; Moaz Abu Taha, aged 27 — all young, spirited, kind journalists and honest bearers of truth — all whose graphic murder was captured live on camera. This is the viscerally nauseating new kill-and-tell reality that we now live in.
Israel has now killed more than 270 journalists and media workers since its war started in October 2023. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a leading body which promotes press freedom has stated that the war in Gaza has been the deadliest conflict for journalists ever documented. It has also stated that more press members have been killed there in the past two years than were killed worldwide in the prior three years. However, in a rare show of complicit, utterly false and performative sympathy, the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a “tragic mishap.”
In a genocide that has remorselessly killed more than 60,000 innocent lives in Gaza under the pretext of dismantling Hamas, such remorse by Netanyahu feels more like a mockery. In the same breath he outrightly denies the recent data of a UN-backed hunger monitor reporting that more than 500,000 people in Gaza are facing “starvation, destitution and death” with their descent into a man-made massive famine and hunger-related deaths. Coupled with actual, deadly and potent weaponry, hunger is being used as another diabolical weapon. This sinister plan was actively furthered earlier this year when Israel stopped the supply of essential items including food from entering Gaza. It banned the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East from performing any humanitarian work in Gaza.
Netanyahu has mercilessly bombed several hospitals — a serious war crime —but he goes unnoticed, unchallenged and walks free. Most Palestinian victims are harmless women and children who have been killed, and the somber streets of Gaza thronged with their decapitated bodies, rotting along the debris. At least a staggering 1.9 million people (90% of the population) in Gaza have already been displaced, according to UN reports, and live with a constant looming threat, as they find themselves unsafe in every corner under the vast sky — in hospitals, shelters or even their makeshift camps.
Meanwhile, mass demonstrations have erupted in Israel to bring back the remaining 50 hostages, most, presumably dead by now.
The State of Palestine is currently recognised by 147 of the United Nation’s 193 member states. That is over 75% of countries. It is shocking that while Israel is wantonly committing the genocide, the powerful countries in the world are looking away; however their sin is not only of omission, but also commission. The United States of America has not only turned a blind eye to the gross slaughtering of the innocent Palestinians, but has been actively and directly complicit by handing over the very gun to Israel and has firmly held Israel’s bloodied hand as it pulls the trigger. US, the champion of the American Dream has crushed the dreams and freedom of the Palestinians — and all those it deems as lesser — under its egotistical might. The Republicans under Trump or the Democrats under Joe Biden who watched quietly, actively and guiltily as the first 16 months of this mass slaughter unfolded are to be blamed equally as genocide enablers.
The Gaza Strip is 41 km long and 10 km wide, and none of the world’s powers have been able to extend any help. It baffles one that none of the countries in the world have come to the aid of the victims in this tiny tract of prison land whose borders, airspace, shoreline are all controlled by Israel. For example, if we were to provide an Indian context, the Union Territory (small, administrative unit) of Delhi has a length of 51.9 km and breadth of 48.48 km. Palestine is an entire country almost equivalent to the size of the small territory of Delhi, and still, it is shocking that none of the nations have been able to do any little bit, or perhaps, something as simple as say the right thing out loud and courageously.
However, finally, at last and emotionally so, the scenes of starvation and deteriorating health conditions in Palestine have moved the hardened hearts of the guilty, silent nations and their apparent perfunctoriness. Most importantly, the power of the people has finally gained its momentum; for the leaders have announced their countries’ policy shifts after facing internal pressure from their domestic populations, as domestic politics is the real driver, and a domestic political move meant to appeal to the Muslim voting block.
While some European countries, along with the US do not recognize Palestine as a state, in July, France, one among the powerful countries, and a member of the Security Council of the United Nations announced that it will recognise Palestine as a state in September in the UN General Assembly. India is also among the 147 countries in the world to recognize Palestine as a state. The UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said it would also recognize a Palestinian state in September unless Israel takes “substantive steps to end the appalling situation in Gaza,” or in other words, unless Israel reaches a ceasefire and agrees to a two state solution. Australia, Japan, Canada have also come around to agreeing to recognize Palestine as a state in the upcoming UN General Assembly, with the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, stating that the move “depended on democratic reforms from the Palestinian authority.” Among the other countries of Europe — Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia already recognize Palestine as a state.
Ironically, when France is trying to push to recognize Palestine as a state, the US has denied and revoked visas of the members of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority just before the United Nations General Assembly Meeting in September. Palestinians have a little say in their life or death, and this is a clear reminder.
The pertinent question is why are these influential countries dragging their feet in recognising Palestine. One could wonder if they have a secret sympathy for the Jews and Israel, as most of these countries may consider themselves guilty of not having saved the Jews when they were being massacred by the Nazis. Do they think their silence is justified when the Palestinians are being met with a similar fate? They did not save the Jews due to their complicity and self-interest back then, and in a strange turn of such performative sympathy for the Jews again, they are silent at intense Palestinian suffering.
The most surprising of all is the UK. After the World War I, following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire which had ruled that particular part of the Middle East, Britain took control over Palestine. There was a stark exacerbation of tensions between the Jewish and Arab populations when the UK agreed, in principle, articulated openly and issued the establishment of a “national home” in Palestine for the Jewish people, a pledge signed by the foreign secretary of Britain, Arthur Balfour, in 1917, called the Balfour Declaration. This had emerged from a range of intertwined motivations including a desire to secure Jewish support for Britain’s war effort and of the British imperial interests in the Middle East. Britain ruled Palestine from 1922 to 1947. The Holocaust had a major impact on the situation in Palestine.
During the Second World War, the British also heavily restricted entry into Palestine for the European Jews fleeing Nazi persecution. In November 1947, the United Nations recommended the partition of Palestine and the establishment of separate Arab and Jewish states, and therefore, on 15 May 1948, Britain gave up her mandate and departed Palestine, leaving the Jews and Arabs to fight out in the war that followed. Israel came into existence in 1948 but Palestine is awaiting recognition as a state by the United Nations till date. It got a non-member observer status as late as 2012. The Palestinians’ desire for independence and international recognition remains questionable, still.
It is strange, hypocritical and absolutely disgusting of the UK to have taken this long to consider conditional status of state to Palestine, when it itself was responsible for dismembering it into two, taking into account its own vested self-interest.
As Indians, we can rightfully state that the UK has done an abominable wrong by partitioning Palestine and India, both, in 1947. The consequences were dire and the seeds of hatred that are sown into the hearts of larger, previously connected communities continues to wreck havoc in their lives. All the four nations born as a result of the UK's lack of foresight and selfish motives suffer the dire consequences for which there does not seem to be a right enough resolution currently.
It divided, ruled and left without batting an eyelid, without an iota of consideration about what these newly formed states of Palestine, Israel, India and Pakistan would do without adequate support. We are still at the receiving end due to the lackadaisical nature they showed back then: be it the 1967 Six-Day War that had a negative impact on the Palestinians or the recent Six-Day War in May 2025 that happened between India and Pakistan.
The only answer to this deathly issue is the two-state solution. It is essential that all nations of the world recognize Palestine as a state, and it should be given full membership of the United Nations. Unless this happens, Israel and the US will continue to brand Hamas or its armed wing Izz ad-Din al-Qassam brigade as terrorist organizations. The entire world was witness to the sheer hypocrisy of the US when it dealt with the Taliban and handed over the power of Afghanistan to it, fully knowing well that it was jeopardising civil rights, especially that of women in doing so. Again, so much for the ‘equal’ American Dream. It is about time we rename it to the American Nightmare that the world needs to be saved from.
Israel rejects the two-state solution because it denies statehood being a precondition for any negotiations with the Palestinians, while Hamas refuses to back the same because of repeated going back by Israel on agreements reached in peace deals in the past. This, however, is not what the people want. The innocent people in both the territories want peace, hope and a legal and recognised territory they can call home. The world must immediately agree to a two state solution and allow Palestinians as dignified citizens of a sovereign nation.
The world leaders also strongly need to condemn and hold Benjamin Netanyahu responsible, akin to that of Adolf Hitler, for committing grave and heinous war crimes immediately. Benjamin Netanyahu is the Hitler of the 21st Century and it is necessary to call a spade a spade right now.
A mosque or temple are considered the sanctuaries of holiness, purity and surrender. Al Aqsa Mosque or the Temple Mount glorify the epitome of such sacredness, and if all of this was really and ultimately a quest for the Divine, then by all markers of basic human and metaphysical consciousness, it will definitely not be answered by bombs, blood or bondage.
Have you liked the news article?