THERE were genuine concerns that Benjamin Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government, that took power in December 2022, would make life very difficult for the Palestinian people. These concerns have turned into a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the state of Israel, now with xenophobic pro-settler ministers in charge, sits by as extremist Jews unleash havoc upon the Arabs. A particularly appalling incident occurred on Feb 26, when a mob of settlers ransacked the Palestinian village of Huwwara in the occupied West Bank. The raid — reminiscent of the Zionist ethnic cleansing of Palestinians during the 1948 Nakba — came about after two settler brothers were shot dead by suspected Arab gunmen in the same village. What followed was nothing short of collective punishment, as hundreds of Jewish settlers ransacked the town. What is equally appalling is the response of some Israeli ministers to this outrage. Finance Minister Bezazel Smotrich, one of the most virulently anti-Arab characters in the Netanyahu set-up, called for Huwwara to be “wiped out”, while adding that Israel should attack Palestinian cities “mercilessly”. Predictably, violence has surged with Israeli troops killing a number of Palestinians, including children, while Arab gunmen have also retaliated.

It is easy to see where the situation is headed: towards a third intifada. The Palestinian people apparently have no other option but to resist, as Israel butchers them regularly, while those running Tel Aviv openly talk of genocidal violence against the Arabs. The tragedy is that the inept Palestinian leadership, and the hypocritical self-declared defenders of the international ‘rules-based order’ have all failed the ordinary people in the occupied territories. The silence from the slumbering Muslim world is particularly deafening. Whether it is vicious forays into Gaza, frequent provocations at Al Aqsa by extremist Jews or murderous rampages in the West Bank, Israel’s message is clear: the peace process is dead and buried. What remains for the Palestinians in the holy land is repression and brutal violence.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2023