- It’s not terrorism when Israel does it, is it?
The word ‘terrorism’ is subject to interpretation for different people. Some label every act of violence directed towards a group of people as terrorism, whereas, others single out attacks by Muslim extremists to only qualify as terrorist activities. This subjective interpretation is mostly made by our western friends who themselves are a victim of mass school shootings every now and then, yet unwilling to label the school attacks as acts of terror. Safely put, the west has set a definition for terrorism to be in the terms of any violent activity perpetrated or orchestrated by any Muslim will constitute terrorism. Every other act of violence remains an isolated event.
Let’s talk about state-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan is, occasionally, at the forefront of being labelled as a terror-friendly state despite having spilt the blood of thousands of our own countrymen. Recently one of our own political leaders has sold the international narrative in an attempt to malign the establishment. A valiant attempt to save one’s self, however, turned out to be futile. Or even so, backfired miserably. Rather than gathering admirers, MNS only found detractors.
Getting back on the topic, the concept of state sponsored terrorism is better explained by our Indian and Israeli friends. The people of occupied Kashmir and the Gaza strip actually know the meaning of state-sponsored terrorism. Not even sponsored by terrorism by the state itself, I would rather say.
The atrocities committed by the Indians in occupied Kashmir are a daily feature and shall be the point of discussion some other time. For now the focus remains on the Americans dropping a garland of bullets on the Palestinians. The 14th of May goes down in history as another one of the dark days that our Palestinian brothers and sisters encounter quite often.
Pakistan is, occasionally, at the forefront of being labelled as a terror-friendly state despite having spilt the blood of thousands of our own countrymen
The US shifted its embassy to Jerusalem, a move which stepped upon the hopes of the ill-fated people of Gaza. Their claim to the sacred land was pushed back further with the stepping on soil by the Americans. Hundreds of people gathered in protest at the Gaza side of the border to mark their disapproval. The protest was indeed register however, not just with slogans but rather with the blood of dozens of Palestinians who spilt their blood in order to raise a voice for their just claim.
With a stroke of Ivanka Trump’s hand the veil at the US embassy was lifted. She didn’t only lift the veil, the same stroke launched a tirade of bullets on the innocent Palestinians. Every second that she stood there cost the Palestinians in blood. Israeli forces, without a shadow of mercy, opened fire as usual on protestors armed with merely stones and a bottle or two.
Heavily armed soldiers mocked the protestors and had the audacity to celebrate shooting unarmed civilians. Quite brave, I must say. Is this not what we label as state-sponsored terrorism? Does this not constitute a war-crime? Which part of international law mandates shooting of innocent protesting civilians?
The ironic part; so-called leaders of the free world were the root cause of the 14th May killings. Had they not moved their embassy, there would have been no protest saving the need for merciless killings for some other day.
The smiles on the faces of the Americans came with the heavy price of Palestinian blood spilling down the streets of Gaza. Sadly enough, the Gaza strip has embraced more blood in the past decades as compared to the amount of rainfall received. Countless Palestinians have laid down their lives in the quest for their rightful homeland. The occupiers of the west bank nevertheless, continue to desecrate the innocent civilians and the rightful claimants of the land.
Obviously, this wouldn’t fall anywhere near terrorism, would it? Any violence effectuated by the Israelis would only amount to self-defense at the most. As much as we try and obstruct the real version of events, the truth will not change. The Palestinians are the victim of state-sponsored terrorism at the hands of the Israelis supported by the West, in particular the Americans, and there is no denying that. Failure to condemn Israeli occupation is in essence a support for the antagonising state and speaks volumes of the Muslim world’s commitment to the Palestinian people.
President Trump has opened up new avenues for violence against the Palestinians, of which the shifting of the embassy is the first. His resolve to support the Israelis through thick and thin is evident by his move of sending his favorite daughter specially to be part of the inaugural.
Despite what the international community might say, Israel is a terrorist state and remains involved in every-day atrocities being committed against the innocent people of Palestine. Bullets, pellets and tear-gas are consumed by the people of the Gaza strip every day and yet the world remains indifferent.
Alleged gassing of the Syrians by Assad compels the entire international community to lambast the Syrian leader and even drives them to take military action. Yet, the cries of the Palestinians fall on deaf ears with no decisive action taken. The US remains indifferent towards the loss of innocent lives in Gaza and continue to enjoy their self-created definition of terrorism.
The more despicable part of the entire situation is the silence of the Arab world when it comes to Israel. Recently, reports have also surfaced of the crown prince being in contact with the Israelis for co-operation in the future. What gives them the right to be the supposed leaders of the Muslim world if they can’t even speak out for the oppressed Muslims? Such hypocritical attitude is the reason the Muslims are humiliated globally.
Till the time we are not willing to correct our definition of the word ‘terrorism’ it would be a hefty task to eradicate the same. In order to cater to a quandary, it is essential that the right components of the problem in hand are identified. Only when the world is ready to accept the atrocities in Kashmir and Palestine as acts of terror, can there be decisive action against terrorism itself.
