Global political leadership appears to finally be awakening from its weeklong slumber, partisanship and backing away from truth, sincerity, just and responsible conduct in the wake of the Israeli-Palestinian crisis which started on October 7 and has led to thousands of deaths on both sides, several injuries and displacement of over one million Palestinians.
Militant Palestinian group, Hamas, had conducted a foolhardy raid on Israeli soil, killing 1,200 persons, injuring 3,000 and abducting 203 in the process. The raid has been condemned worldwide.
In the reprisal attack, the Israeli military came crushing on the Palestinian space, one of the most densely populated places in the world, and unleashed 6,000 bombs in the first seven days alone, causing death and horror.
The total casualties from the Israeli aggression have reached 3,478 deaths and 12,065 injured with varying degrees of severity. Seventy percent of the victims are children, women, and the elderly.
Another 1,200 people across Gaza are believed to be buried under the rubble, alive or dead, in the latest bomb strike on a Gaza hospital which the Israelis say they are not responsible for.
To make matters worse, water supply, food, medicine, electricity and other basic needs of the people have been cut off from Gaza.
One disheartening thing is that while innocents died from the Israeli onslaught on Gaza, many nations of the world kept a passive silence, while others, including the avowed moral leaders, came out in staunch support of Israel without lifting a finger to stop the killing or bring relief and succour to the living.
Their conduct was reminiscent of the growing trend where witnesses of accidents and other distress to their fellow men bring out mobile phones to record the horror, rather than render help or call the emergency services.
In the first few days of the war, French President Emmanuel Macron unreservedly endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war on the Palestinian uprising in Gaza.
Macron demanded that the French people demonstrate “national unity” and rally behind his own unpopular government as it supports the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) relentless bombing of the impoverished Palestinian enclave.
Before Macron’s speech, his political advisers admitted to the media that his position faces deep opposition in the French people and that they were terrified that this opposition would explode.
For his part, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised his country would stand with Israel, as its leader appealed for backing for a “long war” against Hamas.
US President Joe Biden led the rally in support of Israel, not sparing a word for the innocent victims of the pressure-cooker Israeli onslaught on Gaza.
In the face of protests from around the world calling for relief for the stricken in Gaza, however, President Biden swept into wartime Israel for a seven-and-a-half-hour visit Wednesday with a heaping dose of vocal support for Israel, a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt, likely by the end of the week, and a plea for Israelis not to allow rage over the deadly Hamas attack to consume them.
“I understand. Many Americans understand,” Biden said as he wrapped up his stay in Tel Aviv, likening the Oct. 7 Hamas assault to the attacks against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, that killed nearly 3,000 people.
“After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes,” he said.
Biden said $100m (£82m) in US funding would be be allocated to support Palestinian civilians.
People are desperately short of food, water, fuel, medicine and other essentials after Israel launched a blockade of the enclave.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed Israel would not prevent supplies going from Egypt to the civilian population in southern Gaza.
However, Israel said it would not allow any aid to pass through its own territory until hostages being held by Hamas were released.
This failure of humanity and compassion has been very costly and telling indeed and the world needs to take a lesson from this.
There is no way that political or military interest should override love, compassion and empathy for our fellow men and women.
