Analysis of the Middle East Situation

 Written by: Mumtaz Hashmi

Currently, the Middle East is facing a huge crisis, the main reason of which is Israel’s expansionist and usurping behavior, which is increasing with the support of America. To understand this problem, we have to turn the pages of history:

The Romans made life difficult for the Jews in Europe and Syria before Islam. They exiled them, oppressed them, humiliated them and killed them.

To save their lives, the Jews turned to those areas where Muslims ruled. The Romans expelled the Jews from Jerusalem and destroyed their places of worship.

After that, during the caliphate of Hazrat Umar (RA), after the conquest of Jerusalem, the Jews were allowed to visit the city.

After the conquest of Jerusalem in 15 AH (637 AD), Hazrat Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA) allowed the Jews to visit Jerusalem, while before that the Christians had banned them. Due to their extreme hatred for the Jews, the Christians covered the rock on which the Dome of the Rock is built with a pile of garbage. Because the Jews consider it sacred. The Commander of the Faithful, Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) cleared the garbage from the top of this rock with his own hands. According to the Muslims, its importance is that on the night of the Ascension of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), a light shone from this rock to the heavens above.

Then, whenever the Christians occupied Jerusalem after the Crusades, they massacred Muslims and Jews. After the conquest of Jerusalem by Sultan Saladin Ayyubi (may Allah be pleased with him) and for a long time afterwards, during the Ottoman Empire, the Jews remained in small numbers, but the Christians lived in a better condition than the life of oppression and humiliation. In the 19th century, intense hatred and cruelty against Jews resurfaced among Christians in Europe and Russia. In these circumstances, the Jews, fed up with the oppression of the Christians, migrated. Millions of Jews were displaced from Germany, Eastern Europe and Russia. A large number of them came to America, Britain and some to Palestine.

During this time, the Zionist movement was born. The aim of this movement was to establish a country for the Jews and for this they chose Palestine. This movement gained momentum in Europe, America and Palestine and Jews started settling in Palestine in large numbers and started buying land here. This was the last period of the Ottoman Empire.

In the First World War (1914-1918), the Ottoman Empire had sided with Germany and when Germany lost, Britain scattered the Ottoman Empire and various areas came under the control of various European powers. Palestine was occupied by Britain. In 1917, the British Foreign Secretary made a declaration, which is called the Balfour Declaration. It said that Britain would help establish an independent Jewish state in Palestine. Britain helped them settle and organize there.

At this stage, there was a strong reaction among the Muslims of Palestine and thus clashes began between the two.

When the British Crown decided to withdraw from various parts of the world due to its internal and economic problems, it also decided to leave Palestine and asked the United Nations to decide about the future of the region.

The United Nations decided in 1947 that Palestine should be divided into two states:

The Jews should establish the State of Israel in the western area, where the majority of Jews lived, and the Palestinian Arab Muslim state should be established in the eastern area. While Jerusalem was under the control of the United Nations. The Jews accepted this formula, while the Palestinian Muslims and the Arab countries completely rejected the establishment of a Jewish state among themselves.

When the Jews declared the establishment of Israel on May 14, 1948, wars broke out between Israel and the Arab countries. These wars lasted until 1967. At the beginning of the war, Israel occupied West Jerusalem and also took over some other areas of Palestine. The rest of Palestine was occupied by Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. The eastern part of Jerusalem, which contains the holy sites including the Haram al-Sharif and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, was occupied by Jordan. This situation continued until 1967.

Despite international objections, Israel began to build Jewish settlements in these occupied areas and began to settle Jews from all over the world in these settlements. At this stage, the Palestinian national liberation movement, led by Yasser Arafat, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), fought a great struggle and made sacrifices for it.

Due to which the world’s attention was focused on this issue and finally in 1993, a peace agreement was signed between Israel and the PLO, and the PLO was recognized as the Authority of the Muslim Areas of Palestine and it was decided to administer these areas. While it was decided to continue the process of further negotiations for a complete and permanent solution to this problem.

But despite this, Israel’s stubbornness and expansionist ambitions did not allow this problem to be resolved, rather Israel took over more areas and started making other Arab countries the center of its aggressive ambitions.

Israel has oppressed Muslims living in Palestine and targeted their places of worship. Even violence and other tactics have been used to prevent Muslims from praying in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and this process continues today.

Peace-loving people around the world have always condemned these actions of Israel and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Organizations like “Hamas” were born against these atrocities of Israel, which became a symbol of resistance against Israel. And the tension between Israel and Hamas continues. Hamas controls Gaza and it is completely besieged by Israel.

Hamas not only took over the administrative control of Gaza with great skill and grace, but also began military preparations to confront Israeli aggression and defend itself. In this way, it emerged as a highly organized organization against Israeli aggression. During this time, its founder Sheikh Yassin and other leaders and activists were martyred in large numbers. As a result of their great sacrifices, the Palestinian issue is alive in the world. In view of its great struggle, Israel adopted a more aggressive approach and reached the peak of its oppression and oppression of the Palestinians. The United Nations and the entire world remained silent spectators to these atrocities. Even Arab and Muslim countries did not play any practical role other than verbal contributions. In these circumstances, Hamas, in despair, took a big step and kidnapped a large number of civilians from Israel in October 2023 and held them hostage. Although this action of Hamas cannot be supported because the hostages are innocent, Israel justified it by launching an attack on Gaza, which has been going on for almost two years now. Hamas hoped that Arab and Muslim countries would support it in this war and force Israel to resolve the Palestinian issue. But their silence encouraged Israel to take more aggressive actions.

Palestine has been suffering from the worst tragedy in history for the past two years, in which humanity is being humiliated to the utmost. The whole world is watching this in the form of bloodshed of the Muslims besieged in Gaza. Not only have more than 65,000 people been martyred in this, but more than 165,000 people have been injured, including a large number of innocent children, women and the elderly. Peace-loving people around the world are furious after seeing the pictures and videos of the atrocities inflicted on them and this is being expressed all over the world through their protests.

The way Israel has inflicted mountains of oppression and cruelty on the innocent and oppressed Palestinian people is one of the darkest chapters in human history. It has broken all the old records of oppression and cruelty. Not only has it stopped supplying them with food, water, fuel, medicine and all other necessities, but in the worst atrocities in history, hospitals have been completely destroyed by bombing and patients and medical staff have lost their lives.

This naked aggression has completely destroyed Gaza and its infrastructure has been destroyed. And all the residential buildings have been destroyed or are uninhabitable. The cost of this destruction and devastation will exceed trillions of dollars. 

While there is no substitute for the price of human lives.

Millions of people in Gaza are being moved to camps and it is not possible for them to get food. Whenever they try to get food and other necessities from somewhere, Israel attacks them and martyrs these hungry people.

This great human massacre has exposed the terrible faces of all these so-called human rights champion countries. Which had remained the champions of human rights in the world until today. Because it is thanks to their support that Israel has been implementing its aggressive agenda.

Israel’s aggression is not limited to Gaza alone, but during this time it has also committed aggression in Yemen, Lebanon, Iran and other countries.

In recent days, it has also committed aggression against Qatar, which was engaged in negotiations with the parties to resolve this issue.

The aggression against Qatar is a warning to Arab aMuslim countries and today the entire Muslim world is concerned about it. Surprisingly, all the Arab countries that were under the shadow of America until now and who have not only provided military bases to America to protect their governments but have also invested trillions of dollars in America and are doing more. Today, all these Arab and Muslim countries need to formulate a new strategy and action plan for their own protection.

The policy of dependence on America needs to be completely eliminated. For this, the formation of a unified military force is extremely important. Pakistan’s professional armed forces, whose capabilities are known worldwide, can play a key role in this regard.

And Muslim countries need to build relations with other major powers of the world.

Economically, Arab countries will now have to choose regional and Muslim countries for all investments so that their economic development can prepare Muslim countries to confront Israeli aggression.

Hopefully, now the leaderships of Arab and Muslim countries will be able to formulate this action plan for their survival in this changing situation.

Remember that there is no room for delay now, and any carelessness will serve to strengthen Israel’s expansionist ambitions.