Why Many People Sympathise With Israel?

The recent ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has not been started by Israel but by Hamas, which is an  Islamic group that runs the enclave.

by N.S.Venkataraman

Section of Palestinians complain that their land has been occupied by Israel.  However, citizens of Israel are convinced that they have the legitimate right on the land where Israel presently exists.  The dispute has been going on for several decades.

After the end of the second World War, the entire world community sympathized with Jews ,many of whom were slaughtered by Hitler’s Germany. When the second  World War ended , the widespread worldview  was that Jews have to be compensated for the sufferings that they underwent and they deserve a country for themselves.  Based on historical evidence, it was decided by the victors in the second  World War that land where Israel is presently located is the appropriate location to create a country for Jews. Except  local Palestinians and a few Islamic countries, Israel had the support of the world community.

By putting forth enormous efforts, Israel achieved a state of technological excellence and converted the desert land given as a prosperous country.  Today, inspite of the small land area, Israel remains one of the most technologically advanced countries and the world admires the citizens of Israel for their capability to do hard and intelligent work.

While a section of Palestinians continue their opposition to Israel, several Islamic countries such as Egypt, Jordon, UAE have realized the futility of war and have accepted Israel as a legitimate country.

The recent ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has not been started by Israel but by Hamas, which is an  Islamic group that runs the enclave.

In recent years, several Islamic militant groups have emerged, which have indulged in terrorist activities, killing innocent people and waging what they call as jehad, to spread the Islamic religion all over the world. In this  process,  several Islamic groups are now branded as terrorist organisations and have been banned in several countries.

There are millions of people belonging to Islam religion who do not approve the militant  and terrorist activists of the Islamic extremists and believe that they are bringing bad name to Islam religion. They are of the view that even peace loving Muslims are now looked down with suspicion because of the activities of the Islamic terrorists.

 In such a situation, the widespread world view appears to be that the Islamic terrorists have to be controlled and defeated to ensure peaceful living conditions in the world. While the world recognizes that there are millions of  muslims who do not believe in violence, still the Islamic terrorists mingle with the peaceful muslims and it has become difficult to distinguish between these groups.

While the world is waiting for a force or movement to defeat Islamic terrorism, the present war between Hamas and Israel has happened.

Hamas wants  to wipe out Israel from the world map  by launching a violent war. Israel has no alternative other than fighting back with all the force at it’s command to protect its territorial integrity and safety of citizens.

 In the ongoing war, due to it’s superior military technology, Israel is having an upper hand. It has bombed  several areas in Gaza including a big building which houses militant groups as well as media houses and others..  Several media houses accuse Israel of bombing the building where  the media has a presence but they conveniently forget the fact that the same building also houses militant outfits.

Now,  while Israel has been condemned by certain Islamic groups in different countries, the fact is that the condemnation of Israel is not widespread. Obviously, many people including peace loving muslims, who think that Islamic militancy should be put down ,  seem to be silently supporting Israel.

Today, the world is viewing the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas as a war between Israel and Islamic terrorists. Palestinians may have some genuine grievance but Islamic militants have overshadowed the cause of Palestinians.

While some muslim countries have seen the writing on the wall and have taken steps to live peacefully with Israel, the Islamic terrorists are undoing the process of building a peaceful Middle East region.

Everyone wishes that Palestinians should live and prosper. Palestinians have to understand the  ground realities and value the need for peaceful climate, as against the violent climate that militants are trying to promote.