Islamabad: Israel’s continued aggression and genocide in Gaza reflect the failure of the international community, compounded by US politics, mostly muted Arab responses, and ineffective global institutions.
The situation underscores the urgent need for Muslim unity, resource pooling, mutual defence arrangements and peacekeeping forces to stop Israeli actions and expansionist plans and secure regional peace.
This was observed by diplomats, defence analysts and academics during a seminar on “Continued Israeli Aggression: Two Years of Genocide in Gaza” at the Institute of Policy Studies here on Thursday.
IPS vice chairman and former ambassador Abrar Hussain said that the Israeli aggression against Gaza resident generated a wave of sympathy for the Palestinian cause, revived discussions on the two-state solution and prompted many countries to recognize Palestine.
He, however, said such recognition was insufficient, as ceasefire resolutions continued to be vetoed.
"Israel seeks to expel Palestinians from the entirety of Palestine. Deploying peacekeeping forces from Muslim countries in Gaza could help secure peace in the region," he emphasised.
Former ambassador Naela Chohan underscored the importance of accurately framing the Palestine-Israel issue to ensure a holistic understanding and said it could help guide the search for a just solution and end the genocide of Palestinians.
She also called for clarifying whether the conflict is fundamentally religious, political, or commercial.
"Real estate developers view Gaza as land that can be exploited for financial gain, and these commercial interests also drive efforts to expel Palestinians from their homeland," she said.
Ms Chohan observed that the tragedy, once confined to Gaza, had now spread and endangered regional security.
She also pointed to Israel’s targeting of the Hamas negotiating team in Qatar as evidence of its unwillingness to pursue peace.
Former envoy Nasarullah Khan said even before the October 7 incident, Palestinians were subjected to inhumane treatment by Israel but afterward, the scale of the tragedy increased manifold.
He believed the genocide reflected the collective failure of the international community, which had fallen far short of humanity’s expectations.
Defence analyst Brig (r) Said Nazir said that the US and Europe continued to support Israel, which disregards every resolution and principle of ethics.
He noted that another factor behind Israel’s unchecked aggression was the failure of international institutions tasked with ensuring peace and implementing resolutions on Palestine.
Similarly, the muted response from most Arab countries has emboldened Israel to persist in its atrocities with impunity, according to him.
Mr Nazir said after the Israeli attack on Qatar, the US lost its credibility as a security guarantor, so the way forward lied in Muslim unity and effective preparedness against Israeli actions.
"The pooling of military, economic and technological strengths of Muslim countries will help present a united front against Israel’s hegemonic designs of Make Israel Great Again,” he said.