Commentators have been busy analyzing the consequences of Israel's Gaza invasion: Does it help or hinder and delay a long term peace? If anyone thinks it has fostered greater love, then it has helped, although it would be fair to call that an idiosyncratic point of view.
Mahmoud Darwish was regarded as a national poet by Palestinians. His birth date passed by this March 13th. Born in 1941, and having suffered from heart disease, he passed away in 2008.
His Palestine was like a metaphoric Eden, its loss reflecting the Palestinian tragedy of the Nakba, namely, the dispossession of their land and property by Darwish's usurpers. Israel now comprises about four-fifths of the land under the League of Nations mandate for Palestine. It forced the Ottoman Empire to concede the area to the British following the First World War in 1918 ,
Darwish
called Palestine an ancient land and considered himself also part of
the Jewish civilization that had existed at one time. Similarly, the Jew he noted
has an Arab element, and in his view recognizing the interwoven nature
of the two peoples would in the end facilitate reconciliation and peace.
So far, such dreams are far removed from reality. Darwish died in 2008; in 2023 Israel invaded Gaza following a brutal attack by Hamas killing 1200 Israelis. The invasion has taken over 30,000 Palestinian lives with unaccounted thousands still buried in the rubble.
Israel
has also been accused of breaching the rules of International
Humanitarian Law by no less a personage than Antonio Guterres, the UN
Secretary General, who is from Portugal -- a relatively neutral
bystander. Israel's use of white phosphorus weapons and its attacking
of civilian targets have been cited. Moreover, Palestinian deaths and
casualties have comprised mostly women and minor children.
No wonder numerous commentators believe Netanyahu has already lost the war, meaning of course in the court of world opinion. And tentative steps Saudi Arabia was taking towards a long-term peace have become a hasty retreat.
Not that the people of Israel are in support of this war. Netanyahu's popularity, already low (about a third of the people), has plummeted, and if an election were held today, the principal opposition leader, Benny Gantz, would win the most seats.
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