The Israeli attacks and ongoing land occupations from the Palestinians have led to the latest upsurge in violence, say some independent observers in the region. “They have shaken and stirred the world conscience,” one Gulf observer said on condition of anonymity.
Some States as a policy continue to support Israel’s posture as “an act of defense”, “but this mantra has lost much of its sheen worldwide,” the observer said.
In the U.S. (Israel’s staunchest supporter) several communities took out huge protest rallies over the weekend in support of the Palestinians and condemned the Israeli “acts of genocide.”
President Joe Biden called for significant de-escalation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday after 10 days of heavy fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. It was Biden’s toughest public pressure so far on the U.S. ally, with the president asking Netanyahu in a telephone call to move toward the path to a cease-fire, according to a White House statement on their conversation.
President Biden and Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib (spoke out recently for Palestinians along with three other Congresswomen) engaged in a tense, roughly eight-minute conversation on the airport tarmac in Detroit after Biden’s arrival there Tuesday. Tlaib refused to say what she and the president discussed. At one point, Biden patted the congresswoman’s shoulder. Later, during a speech in Dearborn, he lavishly complimented her.
The Arab League Parliament has convened an extraordinary meeting in Cairo to express solidarity with the Palestinians and condemn Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. Those in attendance at the meeting Wednesday wore traditional Palestinian black-and-white scarves in a sign of support.
The decades-old Israel-Palestine conflict lately has witnessed fighting between Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas –it has escalated into the worst flare-up since the Gaza War in 2014. At least 227 people including more than 64 children and 38 women have been killed on the Palestinian side. Since Monday, IDF has carried out hundreds of airstrikes and several ground operations in Gaza, while Palestinian militants based out of Gaza have fired some 3,000 rockets at central and southern Israel since last Monday. The situation at the border on Lebanon is also volatile, according to reports. Meanwhile, France has led diplomatic efforts at the United Nations Security Council for a ceasefire.
