Editorial: No end in sight

There can be no solution unless Israel and Palestine shed their extreme postures and work towards lasting peace

A year after the horrifying Hamas attack deep into Israeli territory, killing over 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages, the conflict shows no signs of abating. Instead, it is only intensifying and expanding, dragging other nations in its wake, as the Middle East is teetering on the edge of a full-blown war, the consequences of which are too dreadful to contemplate. In a disproportionate and ruthless response to the Hamas attack, Israel has virtually pulverised Gaza, killing over 40,000 people so far and displacing virtually an entire population from their homes in the tiny enclave. As the world watches helplessly and calls for restraint proving futile, Tel Aviv has been on a rampage as the fighting is now spreading to new areas. After crushing Hamas, the Iran-backed terror outfit operating in Gaza, Israeli forces have invaded Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah, another Tehran-sponsored organisation, assassinated its leader Hassan Nasrallah, and threatened a potentially devastating confrontation with Iran, which last week struck Israel with a barrage of ballistic missiles. The Israel-Gaza war has now been overshadowed by the wider conflict with Israel and Iran coming face to face in a confrontation. With all sides vowing to escalate, it is unclear when or how any of this can stop. In the meantime, millions of Israelis and Palestinians, whose lives were upended last October 7, have been left in an unending state of limbo — traumatised, bereaved.

There can be no solution unless both sides shed their extreme postures and work towards lasting peace in one of the most turbulent regions of the world with a long history of wars rooted in religious, ethnic and territorial claims. While Israel has been unwilling to accept the legitimate aspirations of Palestinians and their dream of having a homeland, Iran has been nurturing terror outfits like Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthis in the region as part of its staged goal to ‘wipe Israel off the map’. The United States, the only country with the political influence to promote a ceasefire, has so far failed to end the conflict. Former American President Donald Trump is egging Israel on to step up attacks on Iran and destroy its key installations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s unhinged sledgehammer tactics are worrisome, not just for the region but also for the world at large. Israel’s Western allies have been ineffective in reducing the hostilities, despite being in a position to influence Israeli leadership. A deeply fractured United Nations Security Council cannot be expected to bring peace to the region. As the Middle East stares at a prolonged war, India’s interests too are at stake. With nearly 10 million Indians living in the Gulf, an economy extremely sensitive to oil prices, and rapidly growing trade and investment relations, India needs to play a role in averting a major disaster in the region.

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