FRIDAY’S events in Gaza have all the hallmarks of a massacre, with an oppressive regime cracking down with lethal force on largely peaceful protesters demonstrating for their rights.

Thousands of Palestinians — men, women and children — had gathered at several points on the Gaza-Israel border to observe what the Arabs call Yaum al-ard, or Land Day, demanding the right to return to the land of their forefathers; land Israel occupied brutally 70 years ago, condemning its Arab inhabitants to wander the earth as refugees.

At least 16 Palestinians have been confirmed killed while hundreds were injured as Israeli forces used tanks and snipers to disperse the protesters. Tel Aviv’s heavy-handedness has been condemned by the Security Council while the UN secretary general has called for a probe into the deaths.

But beyond condemnations and probes, what will it take to stop Israel from wantonly spilling Palestinian blood? The Israeli response to Palestinian violence is often described as ‘disproportionate’; this is an understatement. When Hamas or other armed groups fire rockets into Israel, the people of Gaza are pounded mercilessly by Israeli bombs. When protesters take to the streets of the West Bank, Tel Aviv’s enforcers are let loose, often using lethal means against stone-throwing youths.

And as seen on Friday, when Palestinians march for the right of return, Israel responds with indiscriminate fire. Tel Aviv is often touted by its patrons as ‘the only democracy in the Middle East’. Do democracies mow down unarmed protesters? Surely not.

It must be highlighted that despite seven decades of a brutal occupation, the Palestinian struggle has largely remained a nationalist, indigenous one, with no involvement of outside extremist forces. However, the Palestinian youth, many of whom have grown up as stateless persons, under the suffocating footprint of the Israeli military machine, are seething with anger, and they have nothing to lose.

Take Ahed Tamimi, the heroic Palestinian teenager who was jailed by Tel Aviv for slapping an Israeli soldier. Even the footage emerging from Friday’s events shows youngsters confronting the Israeli military with slingshots and stones. Yet today, the Palestinian struggle seems to be relegated to the margins where the global agenda is concerned. Many of Palestine’s ‘Arab brothers’ have either made peace with Israel, or are waiting for the first opportunity to do so.

Other members of the international community have also limited their support to mere verbal statements of sympathy. It appears that things will only get worse for the Palestinians. The US intends to shift its embassy to Jerusalem by May. All indications are that this will further enrage the Palestinians and bury with it the two-state solution, and any chances for a peaceful solution to the Palestine question.

Unless the world community decides to censure Israel and support the Palestinians in acquiring a viable state, this hellish circle of violence is likely to continue.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2018