“The Palestinian issue has always been viewed as a wound on the human conscience,” said an editorial in the Chinese newspaper Global Times
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Global Times editorial Last weekend, the escalating crisis and a possible new humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip deeply worried the world. Although Israel delayed by 24 hours the “evacuation order” for all residents of northern Gaza to move south, the Israeli army continues to prepare for ground offensives. Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating and the risk of a major disaster is rapidly increasing. UN agencies have reported that around a million people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip. The World Food Program is running out of reserves in Gaza and the water crisis is “a matter of life and death.” The World Health Organization described the evacuation order as a “death sentence” for the injured and sick.
The IsraeliPalestinian conflict is causing greater divisions and chaos around the world. The IsraeliPalestinian conflict has led to heated clashes between supporters of both sides at Harvard, Stanford, Columbia and other prestigious American universities. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in several Middle Eastern countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh to support Palestine and protest against the US and Israel. Several European countries are concerned about the rise of domestic antiSemitism and conflicts within various communities. The new round of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict demonstrates a destructive force that goes beyond a “storm in a teapot.” People’s opinions on the IsraeliPalestinian conflicts have been polarized on social media, and the spread of false information and hate speech has further deepened the divide between the two sides.
The Palestinian issue has always been seen as a wound on the human conscience. Behind every outbreak of conflict there are complicated causal relationships that are difficult to break through and disentangle. In addition to specific attacks, there can also be a relationship between one victim and another. The cooling of the situation and the search for possible solutions are not only a test for the multilateral cooperation of the international community, but also a question of the morality of humanity. The chaos caused by the current IsraeliPalestinian conflict in the Middle East and even worldwide serves as an additional warning to the world. In this time of increasing conflict and unrest, it is particularly important to avoid moral relativism and selective anger. If we allow mutual hostility and revenge to become entrenched, the wound in the consciousness of humanity will not only not heal, but may also become a dead end for human consciousness and sow the seeds of longerlasting and farreaching conflicts.
The urgent task of the international community is to prevent a new serious humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and to prevent further innocent civilian casualties. It can be said that most major countries and members of the international community agree on this point. Once ground attacks occur, the humanitarian consequences for the Gaza Strip will be extremely painful. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967, Francesca Albanese, warned: “There is a great danger that we are witnessing a repeat of the Nakba of 1948 and the Nakba of 1967, but on a larger scale That’s why even the United States is calling on Israel to exercise restraint, and the European Union has declared that Israel’s right to selfdefense must be exercised in accordance with international and humanitarian law. According to recent reports, the UK has also called on Israel to show restraint.
The reality that must be recognized is that there is currently no strong international force that can essentially bring about a ceasefire and an end to the war. This requires joint efforts by all countries in this direction, and the major powers with the greatest international influence should lead by example. As the Chinese side said, major powers must maintain objectivity and impartiality when dealing with critical regional and international issues, maintain calm and restraint, and lead the enforcement of international law. It must be said that Washington has a special responsibility in implementing the consensus to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip. However, we note that while the United States wants to calm the situation and prevent the conflict from escalating, this is hindered by “political correctness.” The US State Department does not even allow its diplomats to use words like “deescalation/ceasefire,” “end violence/bloodshed,” and “restore calm.” This is really shocking. Regardless of the strategic interests that Washington wants to achieve, it must first maintain the minimum threshold of morality.
CONTINUED AFTER RECOMMENDATIONS
In recent days, the Chinese side held telephone conversations with officials from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other countries to share their positions on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. The Chinese government’s special envoy for Middle East issues will also soon visit relevant countries in the region to actively advocate for a ceasefire, an end to the violence and a deescalation of the situation. We hope that more and more countries will stand on the side of peace, justice, international law, the common aspirations of the majority of countries and human conscience. This is not only about avoiding a worsening of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip as much as possible, but also about adopting a responsible attitude towards peace and security in the Middle East and the world.