It is a sad truth that in Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, the Jewish state is being subjected to a double standard and a hateful bias. During this war, it is increasingly clear that the Arab countries that claim to care about the lives of the so-called Palestinians are not doing enough to help the situation in any way.
Although Egypt has a real physical border with Gaza and, according to some statistics, up to 70% of the so-called Palestinians live in Jordan, the two countries hardly try to solve the humanitarian problem. In response to the difficult situation in Gaza, Egypt is building a large concrete wall along the border with it to prevent the Palestinian Arabs there from leaving. Meanwhile, Qatar continues to host senior Hamas leaders in luxury hotels while civilians in Gaza suffer.
However, the world does not criticize or demand anything from these countries, although the United States of America gives Jordan and Egypt billions of dollars in aid every year.
Then there is the West, which values freedom, democracy, human rights, LGBTQI rights, etc. After the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, many countries rightly sided with Israel – a kindred democracy that shares the same values as them. France has even suggested that the world form a coalition, similar to what it did to defeat ISIS. Six months later, however, there is no sign of such a coalition, and France has lost heart and joined calls for an immediate ceasefire that would leave Hamas in power.
France, along with many Western countries, including Australia, is actively trying to prevent Israel from defeating Hamas, focusing exclusively on the fate of Gazan civilians who are suffering from the war unleashed by their leaders. Keeping Hamas in power would invite future October 7, 2023 attacks, which Hamas leaders have vowed to carry out, and would make it more difficult to release Israeli hostages still being held in Gaza.
So the question must be asked, what would these countries do if they were attacked by dozens of brutal death squads, comprising thousands of terrorists, who would commit mass murder, torture and rape in 22 civilian cities?
The answer is clear. When the US was attacked on September 11, 2001, the world understood that fundamental international freedom, security and prosperity were at stake. The UN Security Council even adopted Resolution No. 1368 the very next day, which unanimously condemned the “horrific terrorist attacks”.
The US, NATO and the free world soon launched a war on terror. America’s number one priority was to eliminate terrorists, and no one questioned its correctness or purpose. And they certainly did not call for a cease-fire until the threat to American civilians was removed.
The same thing happened in the war against ISIS, which caused massive damage and loss of civilian life. Again, this was understood to be an inevitable part of the tragedy of war.
No demands have been made to negotiate with ISIS, the Taliban or Al Qaeda, due to the general recognition that terrorist groups or terrorist regimes cannot be negotiated with.
Israel is fighting a similar evil – not an evil thousands of kilometers away, but an evil only hundreds of meters away that has vowed to repeat the attacks of October 7th again and again and again.
This time, however, the world is not on Israel’s side, but instead is criticizing its every move, despite its unprecedented efforts to protect civilians that Hamas uses as human shields. The world is setting standards for Israel that no other country has asked for.
The death of an innocent person in conflict, whether in Gaza or Afghanistan, is indeed a tragedy, but it is a terrible consequence of a war for which the aggressors who started it are solely responsible, not those who defend themselves.
Instead of making impossible demands on Israel, the world needs realism and courage. While the suffering and destruction in Gaza is sad to watch, if the world does not support Israel in winning this war now, it will inevitably lead to more wars and hardship later, which will only repeat and deepen.
If these “double standards” continue to be applied to Israel, then the terrorist army using human shields could get away with mass murder. How can any freedom-loving democracy tolerate such an outcome?
