EDITORIAL: Why We Should Be Concerned With The Israel-Hamas War

The daily news about innocent civilian women and children dying or being killed in the Israel-Hamas war must be a cause of alarm and concern for us Filipinos. We have OFWs working in Israel and other countries in the Middle East.

Peace-loving people worldwide, including both from Israel and Palestine, are showing their apprehensions by rallying for the end of the war. They know that it needs only one blunder from military superpowers that can spark a third world war, a nuclear war – and they are obviously prepared to join.

Nobody wins in a war, only the merchants of military weaponry have prepared for the catastrophe resulting from their inventions. The global economy will be severely affected and the world population will suffer. It could be the “great re-set” casually floated by international oligarchs.

The conflict is both social and political. The Israelites, the most persecuted people on earth, after being foreigners in many countries, and after suffering genocides, just wanted to have a homeland of their own. The Palestinians, on the other hand, being the inhabitants of Palestine, just wanted to maintain and enjoy their peace before the state of Israel was established within their territory.

Both stands are valid and defensible; the right to have a country of their own for the Israelites, and the right to preserve their own country by the Palestinians. These reasons seem to be non-negotiable.

After the establishment of the state of Israel, hate, pride, patriotism, social displacement, economic dislocation, and marginalization of Palestinians living in the Israel-conquered territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip fueled military clashes. Riding in the conflict the political interests of the neighboring Arab countries of Palestine: Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, and the open support of the US to Israel have been causing military bloodshed by both sides.

Netanyahu’s plan to wipe out Hamas from Gaza is a theoretical strategy. So far there is no plan of what they will do with territory if they will be able to destroy Hamas.

As long as people from both sides are killed or dying, the animosities and atrocities will not end. Hamas represents a sensitive emotional force - not of revolution, not of terrorism, but of revenge. The Innocent people that will be killed and displaced because of this Israeli war policy will carry the same hatred against Israel, not only in Gaza but in all of Palestine. This is human nature backed up by historical facts.

SO, PEACE AND DEVELOPMENT WARRIORS MUST GET INVOLVED, NOT IN THE MILITARY THEATER BUT AT LEAST IN TAKING SAFEGUARDS SO THAT WE DON’T FAN THE FIRE OF REGIONAL OR GLOBAL WAR. LET US PREVENT THE WORST FROM HAPPENING, LET US PRAY FOR A BETTER WORLD.