Under the shade of OIC, Arab-Islamic Summit over Gaza ended with an equivocal statement that; Israel should immediately end its military operations in Gaza. It also rejected the Israeli justification of its actions against Palestinians as self-defence. This meeting was named as extraordinary joint Islamic-Arab summit with a heavy mandate to adopt a clear course of action over the Israeli aggression and brutalities against Palestinians. It is to be noted that, this Summit Meeting of the Muslim States was held after thirty-five days of Israeli unilateral killings of the innocent People of Gaza and West Bank. As per rough estimates, over 12000 Palestinians have been killed with countless numbers of wounded persons in these thirty-five days. Among those killed include 45% children and 25% women folk. Literally, all hospitals have been either destroyed by Israeli bombing or become dysfunctional owing to power shortages, lack of needed staff and medicines and miscellaneous facilities. 60% housing complexes and community centers including schools have been destroyed by Israel through aerial bombing, missile attacks and ground attacks. There is a planned genocide going on in the Gaza. The independent reports shows: “Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children. Hundreds of girls and boys are reportedly being killed or injured every day. Ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and continued bombardment are hitting civilians, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques, churches and U.N. facilities – including shelters. No one is safe.” Indeed, the brutalities of Israeli military have spread everywhere and anywhere in the Gaza.
While the Gaza is under incessant military aggression of Israel, there are probing military attacks and intelligence gathering is going on in various parts of West Bank. Israeli Prime Minister, MrBenjamin Netanyahu announced that, Israeli Army will take over total control of the Gaza after end of this war with overall security responsibility of the Gaza Strip. He said, “After eliminating Hamas, there will be complete Israeli security control over the Gaza Strip, including complete disarmament, to ensure that there is no threat from the Strip to the citizens of Israel.” This statement clearly indicates that, Israeli military operation against Palestinians means end of Palestinians self-rule in Gaza in the First Phase and paving ground for end of Palestinians autonomy in West Bank in the Second Phase. The above statement of Israeli Prime Minister came a day prior to the physical conduct of ExtraordinaryJoint Islamic-Arab Summit and there was no mention of this unequivocal Israeli Prime Minister’s announcement in the Summit. Indeed, the Extraordinary Joint Islamic-Arab Summit restricted itself to issue statements of various participating heads of the Islamic states with a defensive posture without adaptation of a clear course of action. Indirectly this summit provided Israel with an opportunity to continue its military operations against the armless and ill-fated Palestinians. The Summit Meeting of the Muslim states could have clearly warned Israel to stop the military aggression while classifying the punitive actions from the OIC forum. Just condemnation of “Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, war crimes and barbaric and inhumane massacres by the occupation government” should not have been the agenda of this Summit.
Some of the Muslim leaders of the Summit said that they were surprised and shocked over the insensitivity, selfishness and cold response of the international community. The question arises what action has been taken by these Muslim states and their ruling elites, if the non-Muslim World remained mute and unresponsive over the humanitarian crises situation in Gaza? At least people of non-Muslim world protested and condemned their own governments all over including United States. Did the Muslim states and their rulers allowed that? Pleading Israel to allow the humanitarian aid in the Gaza was too small a step, some of the members of this Summit demanded. This could have been passed as a resolution to be adopted and implemented forthwith from the platform of the forum with a clear line of action. Since UN Security Council had its meeting more than once over the Gaza situation, therefore the forum could have condemned the P-5 and UNSC for its failure to give justice to Gaza People. Mere calling for UNSC meeting and halting of military actions in an apologetic manner further depreciated the decorum of this Muslim’s Summit. The Extraordinary Joint Islamic-Arab Summit ended without a clear message and unequivocal resolution/statement over the Israeli military aggression against innocent Palestinians. Indeed, irrespective of the reasons, there was a limited representation of the Muslim heads of states/ governments in this Extraordinary Joint Islamic-Arab Summit. Even those present in the summit meeting remained tangled and indecisive over the needed actions against the Zionist state and its brutalities against Palestinians. In fact, Extraordinary Joint Islamic-Arab Summit could be called a as a symbolic get-together of few Muslim leaders to perform Umrah.
There is need that, Muslims from all over the world must unite themselves under the Umbrella of OIC at least over the issues like Palestine and Kashmir. In the prevailing situation over Gaza, a clear verdict from OIC is needed with clear warning to Israel and its supporters. OIC states must sever or re-think their diplomatic, political and economic relations with Israel and its abettors until there is an end of military action against Palestinians and a clear decision for two states solution as per UN resolution number 181.
— The writer is Professor of Politics and IR at International Islamic University, Islamabad.
Email: [email protected]
views expressed are writer’s own.
