THE HUMAN COST ... 1

THE HUMAN COST ... 1

Hamas has barbarously attacked Israel, an act that cannot be condoned. The molestation of women and children, the indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the kidnapping of Israelis and holding them hostage as bargaining chip reminds one of medieval monstrosity that has already met with global condemnation. Retribution in no uncertain terms is following as Israel strikes back.

But the war is highly assymetric. The siege laid on Gaza that has cut off food, water, fuel and electricity will annihilate the local population. How many can escape? Is the annihilation of the Gazans the agenda? 

And will Israel be able to bear the inconceivable cost of a further occupation of the Gaza strip should it follow up its current offensive with a ground invasion of Gaza which it is evidently preparing for? Can a people be forever put down by force? Palestinians need their homeland as much as Israelis need theirs.

Religion and geopolitics entering the fray right from British duplicity sparking off the feud by making a dual promise to both the Zionists and the Palestinians of possessorship of Gaza has compounded this 75 year old problem ever since the birth of Israel, the promises dating decades back further. Peace agreements have failed or have had limited success. Hamas backed by Iran, Israel's arch adversary, and Hezbollah backed by and operating from Lebanon, do not recognise the state of Israel and would see to its extinction. But Israel, backed by USA and its European allies, is a nuclear power and will not be put down by this confederate of Islamic jihadi forces.

Meanwhile, Gaza remains a war-field where innocent millions suffer untold misery, a life of continuous captivity, frequent Israeli atrocities to squash insurrection, and now the war that has been unleashed to reduce them to a desert as Benjamin Netanyahu promises to teach Hamas the lesson that will alter the political landscape of the Middle East for good. And through all this men, women, children are dying and infrastructure is being laid to waste as the Israeli offensive mounts to monstrous proportions in retaliation to the even more monstrous attack on civilians by at least 1500 Hamas militants across southern Israel.

The politics of it and its justification and counter-justification cannot however reduce the human cost and the Peace Process in Palestine is being waylaid as well. Israel has the right to exist and so does Palestine. But they do not know how to coexist. And this is the cost they have to bear, medieval monstrosity in the modern age. Alas, when will humanity emerge from this savagery unto humanity?

Written by Sugata Bose