Israel’s Gaza carnage started just a day after Tzipi Livni, Israeli foreign minister,  returned from Egypt after meeting, pro-western secular president, Mr. Hosni  Mubarak. Israeli Foreign minister’s this visit has proved very costly to Gazans  who are paying their debt to Mubark’s back door diplomacy. Abbass’ initial  reaction to Israel’s aerial strikes on Gaza was equally surprising.

He blamed Hamas for Israeli killing of innocent civilians. It certainly was not  expected of a leader who was winning liberation for his nation from the most  unscrupulous usurper of human rights on the globe. He painted himself as a petty demagogue gleaming over the misery of rival party. Along with other Arab rulers, having no backing among their subjects, Abbass and Hosmi Mubarak being   afraid of growing Islamists’ influence in their societies are drawing the  morbid pleasure over the sufferings of Gazans for their crime of supporting Hamas.

It seems they are satisfied that Israel is doing what they themselves had wished to do but neither had the courage nor the means to do it. The Arab world, notorious for being divisive and indecisive was never so divided as before.

The Arab League meeting scheduled earlier for Sunday last week was delayed for three days and was held on Wednesday. It just reflected upon the apathy of certain Arab leaders. Egypt’s pro Israeli stance was quite astonishing and left one wondering  whether wishing secularism to succeed in the region called for dehumanization of Muslim rulers of the area.

Hosmi Mubarak and Abbass both want to see the back of Hamas as much as Israel but does it justify the mass murder of innocent, non-combatant civilians of Gaza strip who at the same time, being people of the occupied land, are moral and legal responsi-bility of Israel. Their life, business and property are essentially to be protected by Israel.

They have the right to decent social set up, provision of which is Israel’s  responsibility, which rather in contravention to all ethical and legal obligations is destroying it itself. First it clamped down the most inhuman and brutal blockade of Gaza, turning it into the biggest jail on earth, then sensing that Hamas’s prowess largely being diminished, it went for an all out assault on Gazans to neutralize Hamas’s influence and eliminate it completely.

In international media Israel finds it convenient to present its case drawing  parallels. It frequently equates Hamas with Taliban of Afghanistan which is no less than a perjury. Hamas has nothing in common with Taliban of Afghanistan who had supported Al-Qaida, whereas, Hamas has so far pointedly distanced itself from Al-Qaida and its philosophy.

Taliban of Afghanistan and Pakistan are obscurantists and follow an  extremely  literal interpretation of Islam, whereas, Hamas is a modern Islamists party,  running so many social service projects in Palestine due to which people believed in their sincerity, integrity and management skills and voted it in to run their affairs.

Further, Hamas’s interpretation of Islam is not as much stricter, dogmatic and myopic as that of Taliban. Whereas Taliban in Pakistan are blowing off girls’ schools, Hamas is protecting and promoting girls’ education in Gaza. People have no complaints regarding their application of Islam on their lives.

Their conflict with Al-Fatah is political and not religious. Hamas’s conflict with Israel is legitimate and real. They are people who are struggling for their political, social and religious rights. They incidentally are pitted against an enemy that is the most treacherous, cunning and at the same time most unscrupulous foe that will go to any extent to have its way. Israel does not want to relent and end 
occupation straight way and let people live their lives peacefully.

In order to establish its sovereignty over the still-to-be-liberated lands it is lingering over the issue in fatal disregard to the lives of millions of people it is legally responsi-ble of. If out of frustration some homemade missiles (firecrackers) are thrown towards it then it has got enough justification to attack Gazans with latest and most devastating US made missiles through F16s. What a combat situation do we have!

Under-nourished rather almost starved and barely maintaining their lives, unarmed population of one and a half millions is being run over by the most deadly missile strikes, whereas tanks and other armed vehicles are waiting in the wing to have their go. Shame on you shame humans for patiently witnessing such a gross tragedy over such a long period of time.

Even though Hamas’ prowess may not match Israel’s military powers, it has been very vocal in its opposition to Israeli occupation. It has got the right to do so. In the Quran God says “God does not love public utterance of hurtful speech, unless (it be) by one whom injustice has been done” 4:148 Israel can’t choose its partner for peace in the region. It first ditched Yassir Arafat who had trusted them as peace-partner. Now, they have created a wedge between Hamas and Al-Fateh and after seeking tangible backing from Abbass, they are out there to destroy half of the Palestine in the making.

Once Hamas has been neutralized Israel is essentially to turn towards  already  weak-ened Al-Fateh in the West Bank, and dictate its terms. Palestinian  sovereignty will remain a distant dream as long as our secular rulers in the region did not learn to live with Islamists peacefully. To fight off the enemies of Muslims we first have to maintain distinction between Islamists, extremists and  obscurantists. Whereas Islamists have a lot to share with secularists, both have 
to have a united front against Extremists and obscurantists.

The real competition is not between secularists and Islamists as both can benefit from each other and at the same time work together to protect society from the clutches of these half-wit, illogical and irrational extremists and obscurantists.  How do we need to be reminded that such breed does not only seek its sustenance from religion, religiosity and godliness, it also seeks sustenance from paganism  and secularism.

Don’t look for obscurantists in people supporting long beards and wearing turbans, they also wear small caps, hats, ties, jeans, denims and trousers. They can be found among Christians, Jews, Hindus, Budhists as much as among Muslims. For example, Zionists are secular, fanatic, obscurantist and extremist to the last extent but they have provided a cause to the religious fanatics of Jewish faith to indulge in gross human rights violations against the dictates of 
their own religion.

The West as well as Muslim secular rulers in the lands of Islam should correct their perceptions of Hamas. It is an Islamists party with a lot of potential to serve its people along with secular Al-Fatah and secure independence from Israel, hence it needs their support and blessing. Al-Fatah, on the other hand, also needs to learn how to deal with an opposition party and keep its own house in order so that it can do well in next elections. Current Israeli killing spree should be worrying to Al-Fatah.

Palestinians are being killed by Israel, even though they in majority had supported its sister organization. Both don’t have any divergence of objectives regarding independence from Israel, they may slightly differ in tactics though. Not long ago Al-Fatah was not markedly different from what Hamas in today. It used to invite the same wrath from Israel, but it had finally brought Israel to negotiating table after ‘renouncing’ the armed struggle. Only Hamas has understood early that negotiations are yet another tool Israeli’s are employing to linger on with occupation. It is high time the free world told Israel it stopped killing Palestinians, started pulling out of occupied lands completely and went beyond pre-1967 borders if it wants to sustain its rightto existence, otherwise it has already done enough damage to humanity to anger its gods.

Introduction

It seems they are satisfied that Israel is doing what they themselves had wished to do but neither had the courage nor the means to do it. The Arab world, notorious for being divisive and indecisive was never so divided as before.

 First appeared in Pakistan Observer, Islamabad on 13th Jan., 2009