Israel’s merciless use of lethal force at the Gaza border that led to the massacre of 58 Palestinians, who were violently protesting against the inauguration of the first embassy of the US in Jerusalem on Monday, is highly reprehensible.
President Donald Trump’s decision in December to officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish state of Israel and to relocate the US embassy infuriated many Muslims across the world, especially in Palestine, who see Israel as an occupying power since its creation 70 years ago.
Though several US Presidents including Barack Obama held the same view, but President Trump’s decision, is a major shift in the official American policy, with Palestinians fearing that it will finalize Israeli control over entire Jerusalem. Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state and therefore it was inevitable that Hamas, the authoritarian Islamist leadership of Gaza, would use this opportunity to provoke youth to send them to their death throes, as it has been doing in the past.
Israel, which prides itself as a rule-based democracy, walks into the Hamas’ trap, by resorting to ruthless and repressive force, drawing international censure. Even as Israel and Egypt have a justified case of self-defence but the fact that Gaza is economically impoverished due to their blockade, the world fails to sympathize with them.
As a result, it is not in the interest of Israel to kill Palestinians because it will not bring peace, stability and security for the Jewish state. It will only compound the already protracted conflict. What will really work in its favor is if Israel initiates a move to recognize East Jerusalem as Palestine’s capital.