THE Muslim world’s collective response to the 10-month-old Israeli assault on Gaza, as well as the associated violation of the sovereignty of various regional Muslim states by Tel Aviv, has been feeble at best. Most Muslim-majority states have done little more than issue strongly worded condemnations of Israel, while a unified response from the OIC has been severely lacking. However, this attitude appears to be changing, though at a glacial pace, as Muslim states respond to the challenge of Israeli violence and its destabilising effects in the Middle East. There was a welcome show of unity at an extraordinary OIC meeting held in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. The meeting was called by Iran and Palestine following Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran last month. The OIC secretary general slammed Haniyeh’s murder, as well as the “genocide committed by Israel” in the occupied territories. Moreover, Saudi Arabia, which does not always see eye to eye with Iran, and has also had troubled relations with Hamas, condemned Haniyeh’s assassination as a “flagrant violation” of Iran’s sovereignty. Elsewhere, Turkiye, which has ties to Israel, has sought to join South Africa’s genocide case against the Zionist state at the International Court of Justice, signalling a hardening of Ankara’s stance because of Israel’s criminal behaviour in Gaza and beyond.

The resolutions and criticism of Israel are welcome, yet the OIC must now move beyond words and take solid steps to end the genocidal campaign in Gaza. This can include Muslim states speaking with a unified voice at all international forums in defence of Palestine, and taking punitive measures against Israel and those states that provide it with weapons to murder Palestinians, as well as countries that unflinchingly defend Tel Aviv’s atrocious crimes on the global stage. If words are not backed by actions, they will, as always, remain hollow. Moreover, since the Gaza carnage began, Israel has violated the sovereignty of several Muslim states, including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran. These provocative actions have brought the region to the brink of war. Therefore, the Muslim bloc needs to ensure that Israel is reined in by its Western supporters before it succeeds in setting the Middle East on fire. The international community should know that if hostilities expand in the region, their impact will be felt across the globe.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2024