One will notice that Western leaders and their media were too critical of Hamas’ actions on 7 October, when it launched a surprise attack on Israel.
However, it is their failure to address the background of violence, which is Israeli occupation and settler expansionism of Palestinian land, that makes the rhetoric of condemning Hamas hypocritical.
It is also a pity that CNN and the BBC have lost their moral compass by focusing on Israeli citizens and showing reluctance to confront Israel about its decades-old occupation and oppression of Palestinians over the past seven decades.
We believe that only by distinguishing the oppressor from the oppressed based on the realities of the Palestinian situation can a new and peaceful Middle East be achieved.
Israel, which is armed to the teeth with the strong backing of the US, will feel secure that it cannot be brought to the negotiating table without the agreement and support of its closest ally.
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While Hamas is regarded as a terrorist force by Western nations, the reality is that peace cannot be forged without its participation and that of other Palestinian resistance groups.
If there’s an example of how to achieve peace, one can look to the Good Friday accords in Northern Ireland.
That agreement brought the Catholic Irish political arm Sinn Fein, who were opposed to British rule of Northern Ireland and linked to the Irish Republican Army (IRA), to the negotiating table. The IRA was regarded as a terrorist organisation too.
On the other side, the Progressive Unionist Party, the political party that prefers being a part of British rule, was connected to the militant Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), which was also involved in the negotiations to end violence in Northern Ireland.
Honest peace brokers in the Middle East could use the Northern Ireland peace process as a reference.
When the Sinn Fein and Progressive Unionist parties, whom we link to militant groups, can be involved in negotiations, why are the US and the EU rejecting Hamas? Why such double standards?
In this regard, the Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue urges nations with a moral conscience to seek a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
They should also start a peace process that addresses the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and its legitimate security concerns by using the Northern Ireland peace process as a guide. – New Straits Times
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
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- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
