William Dalrymple has rightly pointed out that Gaza is not only the world’s biggest concentration camp but now has become the world’s biggest graveyard. One wonders how come the Nobel Peace Prize winner President Barack Obama has failed to take notice of the ongoing slaughter in Gaza. After days of seclusion, he came on TV the other night. One would presume that he might have some important announcements to make to stop Israel’s aggression in Gaza, but to the amazement of many, he has only one point to ponder upon — the alleged kidnapping of an Israeli soldier. One may question what these Israeli soldiers were doing after the 72-hour humanitarian truce got enforced.
One may remember the story from our childhood wherein a wolf blames a lamb for every bad thing he can think of — why he is dirtying the water, why he or his father abused him last year. Using all these pretexts and excuses, finally wolf enjoys the lamb dinner. Apparently same is applicable in Gaza as well; first Israel attacked Gaza to avenge the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teenagers in West Bank, then it was to eliminate rockets firing from Gaza, then moved to destruction of tunnels, now it is the alleged kidnapped soldier to be freed — wolf excuses are going on and on. But Gazans are not in the mood to surrender as that would mean continuation of economic blockade and strangling of Gazans by closing of ground, air and sea borders.
One would expect that an American president in his second term would be able to take some bold decisions, not to be entirely dictated by AIPAC. Apparently Obama has not forgotten the furious faces upon his earlier encounter with AIPAC wherein he somehow tried to speak truth.
Good luck, Mr President. You made many people think what kind of world we are now living wherein we have to prove Israeli atrocities as myopic power brokers can’t move forward from AIPAC HQ.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
