Kunal Kishore
Israel Hamas War: Since the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, the world is getting divided into two parts. While on one hand the western countries are unanimously supporting Israel, on the other hand the sympathy of the Muslim countries is towards Palestine. The Arab League, a group of Arab countries, called an emergency meeting last Wednesday to condemn Israel’s decision, under which Israel has stopped the supply of basic facilities like food, electricity and water in Gaza. Here, Israel demands that the Israeli citizens held hostage by Hamas should be released immediately. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that now Gaza will never be the same as before and Israel will destroy Hamas. Benjamin Netanyahu has asked civilians to leave Gaza immediately.
War broke out after Hamas attack
In fact, on October 7, Hamas extremists suddenly launched land and air attacks on the border with Gaza Strip. The extremists targeted unarmed children and women and killed them. They took hundreds of people hostage and took them with them to Gaza Strip. Here, Arab countries are continuously meeting to stop the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. A ministerial meeting was held in Egypt’s capital Cairo. In this meeting, Arab countries have demanded restoration of facilities from Israel as soon as possible. Apart from this, Arab countries reiterated the demand for Israel to return to the two-state policy.
Where do the Arab countries stand?
The Arab League is a group of 22 countries which include Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Djibouti, Comoros, Mauritius and Syria are included.
Saudi Arab – Saudi Arabia called a ministerial-level meeting on Tuesday in which Saudi King Salman and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman were present. He is keeping an eye on the situation. Saudi Arabia is in contact with western countries. Saudi Arabia has asked to call an emergency meeting of the 56-member Muslim organization OIC group of countries. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that he supports Palestine.
Queue – Qatar has issued a statement saying that only Israel is responsible for the ongoing conflict. Qatar has appealed to both sides to exercise maximum restraint. Along with this, the international community has been asked to stop Israel so that Israel cannot make an excuse to attack Palestine.
lebanon – Lebanon recognizes Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land from the beginning. There is Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon itself. Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib said that he had spoken to Hezbollah in which Hezbollah had assured him that they would not take part in this ongoing conflict unless Lebanon is attacked.
Jordan – Jordan was among the countries that fought wars against Israel in 1948 and 1967. In the 1967 war, Israel had also captured some places in Jordan. Jordan sent relief material to Palestinians in Gaza Strip on October 12, which will reach via Egypt.
Syria- Syria has asked all Arab countries to unite for the people of Palestine. Syria had also captured a place called Golan Heights in the 6 DAYS WAR.
Division among Arab countries on Hamas issue
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords with Israel, criticized the Hamas attack. The UAE Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that it was shocked by the manner in which women and children were taken hostage from their homes. But the statement avoided Israel’s attack on Gaza. Bahrain has also expressed concern over the killing of civilians. Bahrain Foreign Ministry’s statement condemned the taking of civilians as hostages.
Why are the attitudes of some countries changing?
In fact, behind the scenes, some countries are moving towards establishing diplomatic relations and normalizing relations with Israel. Many countries including countries like United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan. America has played the role of mediator for these agreements.
What is the attitude of other Muslim countries?
Iran – Hamas receives money, weapons and other equipment from Iran. Iran has openly supported Hamas. The attack on Israel was celebrated in the Iranian Parliament.
Turkish – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the siege of the Gaza Strip and described Israel’s bombing as genocide. In his statement in Parliament, he described the blockade of Gaza as shameful. Erdogan described Israel’s repressive policies as the center of the ongoing conflict. At the same time, Pakistan has not yet recognized Israel as a country. Pakistan has been supporting the demand for a separate country of Palestine.
what is the latest situation
It is noteworthy that in the violence that has been going on since October 7, the death toll in Israel and Palestine has crossed 3000, while the number of injured has crossed 5000.
