THIS is with reference to the editorial ‘OIC inaction’ (Nov 13). It is true that if strongly worded statements and conferences could have been effective against Israel, the Palestinian issue would have been resolved decades ago. Since that has not happened, and it will not happen, there is a need to move on to the next stage; the stage of doing something concrete.

The recently concluded Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) summit at a luxurious conference centre attended by kings, monarchs, presidents and prime ministers of some of the richest countries of the world could do nothing except rubbing salt into the wounds of the innocent Palestinians.

The conference even failed to call the Israeli action a genocide or declare Israel a terrorist state. Gone are the days when the Arab countries used oil as a weapon against the friends of Israel. In 1948, Golda Meir, as the acting head of the Jewish Agency for Israel, which was the operational branch of the World Zionist Organisation, was sent to the United States to raise funds to buy arms and ammunition to fight for an independent state for the Jews. She landed in New York with only $10 in her pocket, and when she returned after a month, she had $50 million in the kitty, and it was that money that helped the Jews in establishing their authority.

David Ben-Gurion famously said that history would record that it was thanks to a Jewish woman that the Jewish state was born. It may be a surprise to some, but the fact is that active fundraising resulted in the establishment of the Jewish state.

Today, when Palestine is bleeding once again, the Islamic world, which has in its fold some of the richest countries of the world with unlimited resources that allow their rulers to live a life of sheer luxury, are simply silent spectators.

No country or individual dares to offer financial and material help to the helpless Palestinians, or to provide arms and ammunition to the freedom-fighters. When the Jewish state came into being with the donations of Jews around the world, why cannot the rich among the Muslims, through the power of their money, force Israel to stop brutalities.

It is obvious that for them, their ‘masters’ are far more important on whose instructions these countries are busy in establishing diplomatic relations with Israel, encouraging it to carry out barbaric acts without any check.

Will any Muslim country come forward to provide financial help to the poor Palestinians and declare respective Israeli ambassadors persona non grata and send them packing? Will it establish special funds for the suffering humanity, boycott Israeli products, put economic pressure on Israel, and force it to stop the latest wave of genocide?

The US, despite being the self-proclaimed champion of human rights, is a facilitator of Israel. People in civilised world are on the roads condemning Israeli brutalities, but we do not see even a single individual on the roads in some of the leading Arab countries showing solidarity with the Palestinians.

As suggested by Iran during the OIC summit, the boycott of Israeli product would definitely hit its economy, but almost all Muslim countries will never opt for this proposal as those in power cannot sacrifice their investments worth millions of dollars, if not more, for the sake of innocent children, women,patients and the elderly who are being slaughtered by Israel.

It is ironic that Muslim leaders around the globe are either unaware of history or they have never tried to learn any lesson from the past. It is time for collective voice of the Muslim countries and a declaration by the OIC not only condemning Israel, but suggesting ways to force the Jewish state to stop mass murder. If the Balfour Declaration can establish a Jewish state, an OIC declaration can definitely rattle the same state, forcing it to respect humanity.

Aamir Aqil
Lahore

Published in Dawn, November 29th, 2023