By Irum Saleem
“Donald Trump’s Board of Peace is due to meet in Washington next week, with Pakistan among other Muslim states scheduled to attend. As per the meeting’s reported agenda, it will examine the Gaza situation while also discussing the BoP’s mandate and structure.
However, unless concrete proposals to stop the continuing Israeli violence in the occupied territories and hold the Zionist state to account for the atrocities it has committed in Gaza emerge, the meeting may prove to be nothing more than a photo op. The situation in the West Bank is critical, while new evidence has emerged of barbaric methods used by Israel in the Strip during its bloodthirsty campaign,” Dawn writes.
Tel Aviv must be made to answer for these crimes if the BoP is to be taken seriously.
Regarding the West Bank, the Israeli cabinet has recently passed new regulations that allow settlers to buy land in the occupied territory — a clear violation of international law. As the UN rights chief has put it, these moves will lead to “rendering a viable Palestinian state impossible”. But that is what Tel Aviv appears determined to do.
Meanwhile, several Muslim states, including Pakistan, have also slammed “continued Israeli expansionist policies” in the West Bank. Separately, an Al Jazeera investigation has revealed that Israel used monstrous weapons in Gaza that may have left no trace of their victims. The internationally banned thermal and thermobaric weapons, many supplied by the US, were used to ‘evaporate’ nearly 3,000 Palestinians. These weapons generate unbearable temperatures, and usually no traces are found of the victims.
It is shocking that the Israelis — whose forefathers perished in Nazi gas chambers and ovens — are now using similarly horrific methods on innocent Palestinians.
“But perhaps such revelations should not shock, as the Zionists have a long history of committing war crimes. In light of these facts, the Muslim bloc at the upcoming BoP meeting must take a firm stand. The illegal land grab in the West Bank must cease immediately. Moreover, Israel must be held accountable for using illegal weapons on Palestinian non-combatants. It should also be noted that nearly 600 Palestinians have been murdered by Israel in Gaza since last October’s ceasefire. All these issues must be discussed at the BoP.l,” it says.
Instead of conjuring up strange fantasies of a ‘Gaza Riviera’, the board must focus on the immediate cessation of violence against the Palestinian people, commit to a clear roadmap for a viable Palestinian state, and hold Israel to account for its diabolical behaviour. But with Israel itself part of the BoP — and Mr Trump beholden to his powerful Zionist backers — it is difficult to see this happening. Unless firm steps are taken to confront these issues, the BoP will remain a pointless entity.
