RECENTLY when some Arab countries, including Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain, along with the United States, conducted aid airdrops in Gaza, it proved fatal. Instead of providing some relief, it brought more misery to the hapless people in Gaza. The so-called aid effort killed five Palestinians waiting for the help when some of the parachutes failed to open, and huge boxes fell on those waiting for food and water.

These airdrops were a face-saving effort by the Arab countries, and, of course, the US has its own agenda, like the plan to set up a temporary pier off the port in Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid shipped from Cyprus.

It is a well-known fact that weapons from Cyprus have been delivered to Israel. The US has been moving arms to Israel using the British air base in Cyprus. A large number of American soldiers are stationed there. The United Kingdom has also used its bases in Cyprus to launch attacks on Yemen, Syria and Iraq, and to deliver weapons to Israel.

The German and Dutch forces arrived in Cyprus as soon as Israel launched its brutal military offensive in Gaza. Although the incumbent government in Cyprus denies that the country is being used to carry out the genocide in Palestine, its people have come out in numbers, demanding that their government stop its contribution to the genocide.

The conflict began because the Gaza Strip is important, with its vast oil reserves off its shores. Of course, the US, Israel and Europe together want to capture it. Since a number of countries around the world, especially the Arab neighbours, refused to take in Palestinians despite the United Nations calling it a grave situation, the ships at the temporary pier could encourage the hapless Gazans to flee, making way for Israel to take over Gaza.

If the US is really concerned about the plight of the Palestinians, all that Washington has to do is to stop arming Israel and supporting the Zionist state.

Angabeen Ahmad
Karachi

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2024