By, Iyad Eid
While most academics of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology (SOCA) went on an international mission from 12 to 19 September 2024, to activate the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the IIUM and Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia, I was responsible for another critical mission that is also dear to SOCA.
In the ongoing Palestine-Israel war, that started on 7 October 2023, which is now more than a year after, I would like to bring to readers, particularly the Muslims, about genocide that happens every day in my treasured country – Palestine, a land with Muslim brothers and sisters.
Sociologically speaking, a functional country is created by a rational system of institutions that work together to maintain its stability and consistency. While the government is one of these institutions, the army is its central pillar. Throughout human history, there has been a consensus that armies have played a crucial role in protecting nations and upholding moral values by not engaging in aggression against peaceful nations.
In the lengthy timeline of human civilisation, there have been countless examples of colonial powers ignoring such global consensus and exploiting the resources of other nations. However, Israel remains a distinct disgraceful exception among historical colonial powers. Facilitated by British colonialism, Israel formed mercenary gangs whose purpose was not only to occupy the Palestinian land and steal its resources but also to establish permanent settlements and perpetrate genocidal acts against the native Palestinians, forcing them to flee their homeland. To compensate for the years of suffering experienced during the Holocaust by the Nazis in Germany and other European countries, Israel compelled the international community to endorse and legitimise its conduct as just and righteous.
During the 1948 catastrophe, Haganah, Irgun, and Stern, primary mercenary gangs of what Israel named the Israeli Defence Force, travelled to Palestine from various corners of the globe and perpetrated a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the peaceful Palestinian people, coercing them to abandon their homeland. Despite their efforts to conceal any filming evidence of their crimes, these gangs were unable to hide the truth as photos and testimonies from local and international organisations documented the destruction of 550 Palestinian cities and villages, the brutal massacres targeting innocent civilians, and the forceful uprooting of nearly one million Palestinians from their ancestral land. Strangely and ridiculously, individuals belonging to these gangs have deliberately and proudly recorded themselves admitting their past criminal actions against the Palestinians, encouraging their fellow Israeli soldiers to commit similar acts.
The recent conflict in Gaza left the global community in a state of shock, as Palestinians called for the application of international law to safeguard Al-Aqsa Mosque as a holy site, put an end to the blockade on Gaza, and liberate Palestinian detainees. At that moment, the true identity of the Israeli army has unfolded; it is a ruthless gang of killers. In an open display of support, top figures in Israel’s government, including the President, Prime Minister, Defence Minister, and many other high-ranking officials and soldiers, endorsed and were actively involved in the mass killing of innocent Palestinian civilians either by shooting, striking their homes, or hindering them from obtaining water or food. Above all, they labelled them as dangerous creatures (animals), posing a significant threat to the security of Israelis.
The Israeli officials utilised a ‘fabricated text’ from the Torah claiming that God grants them the authority to commit genocide against Palestinians, sparing no one, not even children, women, or even domestic animals. Additionally, several gang members who served as mercenaries, originating from the USA, France, Italy, Ukraine, Spain and many other countries, attracted global attention through self-recorded videos on social media in which they proudly proclaimed their mercenary status and readiness to murder in exchange for payment.
While many of them boasted about their success in capturing and torturing civilian Palestinians, forcing them to undress, others targeted and eliminated Palestinian journalists, medical doctors, and university lecturers. Some chose to mark their children’s birthdays by bombing Palestinian homes. In contrast, others took delight in striking and murdering hundreds of hungry civilians attempting to collect aid for their starving children. Some openly declared their intent to target and kill only Palestinian children. In contrast, others opted to kill hospitalised Palestinians, block the entry of fresh air to newborns, and destroy preserved Palestinian sperms, effectively ending their lives before they had a chance to begin. Furthermore, some of these gangs’ members went beyond the limits of human imagination by desecrating the graves of recently deceased Palestinian martyrs, stealing their organs, skin, etc.
The never-ending criminal behaviour of these gangs generates widespread fear and disgust among global governments, NGOs, and millions of ordinary people across the world, resulting in a huge outcry and countless individuals protesting Israel’s despicable actions. The consensus among them is an immediate resolution to stop the ongoing genocide against the Palestinians and call for sending the Israeli gang members to face trials in the International Court of Justice. Despite these reactions, Israeli leaders persist in denying and rejecting these calls. This denial only solidifies the belief that the Israeli military is simply not a true army but a gang of hired killing mercenaries, posing a threat not just to Palestinians but to all humanity.
Let us join hands to ensure Palestine belongs to Muslims. Indeed, Palestine is a land to be protected by Muslims all over the globe, is not just the responsibility of the Palestinian people.***
(The writer, Dr. Iyad Eid is an academic in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, AbdulHamid AbuSulayman, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia.)
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