PALESTINE in general and Gaza in particular was burning and being devastated by Israel since early October last year when it was attacked by Hamas. Israel has killed more than forty four thousand Palestinians including women and children and continuously suspended all humanitarian assistance from anywhere for Palestinians and mercilessly ignoring all judgements of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and UN Security Council for ending its aggression and killings of Patestinians and withdrawing from Gaza. In chasing Hamas leadership and network, Israel has also extended its aggression to Lebanon, Syria and also to Iran. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League held an extraordinary joint summit on Palestine recently in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia..
Attending the Summit , Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif not only reiterated Pakistan’s unstinted aqnnd unwavering support for Palestine and a two-state solution of the lingering and burning problem with Al-Quds Sharif (Jerulalem) as its capital based on the pre-1967 borders but also called for swift action for bringing an end to Palestinians cononing genocide by Israel, urged world’s help for accountability of unabated Israeli war crimes emphatically stating that Israel has become emboldened by world’s indifference and inaction. The PM said that the prevailing humanitarian crisis in Gaza was beyond any imagination , quite regretfully pointed out that most sophisticated weapons were being continuously being supplied to Israel by some counties, for over a year the occupied Palestinian territories especially Gaza have fallen in endless darkness and despair with devastated homes, with every passing day every moral code was being flagrantly violated by Israel..
He also pointedly stated that international humanitarians meant for protecting the vulnerables have been torn to shreds, humanity was being tested and failing, asking that is it any wonder then that after decades of suffering and oppression, the spirit of resistance remained unbridled,. He also called on the countries having diplomatic and trade ties with Israel must also take immediate measures to evere these relations until Israel ceased its continued violent action and adhered to the international norms.
The communique issued at the conclusion of the extraordinary OIC-Arab League Joint Summit called for an urgent international intervention in Gaza situation, urging the countries to immediately halt supplying arms to Israel and instead support a diplomatic initiative to halt the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza elsewhere. This was not merely a symbolic stand on part of the countries represented in the Joint Summit but also a clarion call for taking concrete steps to rein in Israel’s policies and taking effective measures for ensuring the protection of the Palestinians right as strongly and quickly as possible.
PM Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the vision of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) in convening and hosting the extraordinary joint summit of OIC and Arab League over the burning Gaza situation. While in Saudi Arabia, the PM also held a meeting with Saudi Investment Minister Engineer Khalid bin Abdulziz Al-Falih and Advisor Royal Court Nohammad Al-Tuwaijri on the sidelines of the Summit as a follow up on the recent engagements for economic countries between the brotherly countries. He told them that good progress has been made over eight Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) signed during the two Investors and businessmen delegations to Pakistan during last couple of months.
It would have been an appreciable act on the part of the PM if he had also mentioned the decades long killings and brutalities of the occupying Indian security forces in his address to the Summit as there were similarities between both the burning and lingering Kashmir and Palestines issues. Bot Kashmir and Palestines issues are , most unfortunately and regretfully, victims of being ignored by the international community and the world body to say the least.
Briefly historically speaking it may be pointed out here that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was formed in 1969 over the Palestine issue. After the occupation of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War, there was an attempt to burn down the Masjid Al-Aqsa in August 1969 and a Summit was held over this situation within a month then in Rabat, Morocco.
The Arab League was even older as it was founded in 1945 by the seven Arab states just before the end of World War Two. Both OIC and the Arab League somehow have not been .so effective in helping the people of Gaza presently and on the whole proving effective and aggressive in resolving the long standing unresolved Palestine issue.. There was no denying the bitter fact that an unholy alliance has been developed between India and Israel viz-a viz the burning and kingering unresolved Kashmir and Palestine issues.
As stated above, there was uncanny resemblance between the Palestine and Kashmir issues. Like the Kashmiri people , who were suffering and struggling for their freedom from illegal Indian occupation of their Jammu and Kashmir territory since 1947, and the Palestinians who have also been denied their right of self-determination.
—The writer is Lahore-based Freelance Journalist and retired Deputy Controller (News), Radio Pakistan, Islamabad.
