Queen Rania Al-Abdullah had the opportunity to express her opinion on the events of October 7, when she was asked in an interview with CNN how she felt, as a “Palestinian Arab, a human being, and a mother?” The Jordanian Queen began to strongly condemn the Israeli bombing of Gaza and the double standards followed by the West, which put what happened in southern Israel in parallel with what is happening in Gaza. She asked: “Are we being told that it is wrong to shoot an entire family, but it is acceptable to bomb them to death?”

The interview, which was received angrily in Israel, represents part of the growing divergence between the way the Israeli state views the conflict and how the rest of the Middle East, the West, and many other regions view it, according to Bloomberg.

Within Israel, a strong feeling of anxiety was evident, with a new opinion poll showing that 64% of Israelis now fear for their physical safety. Hamas continues to fire rockets into the country every day, while militants try to infiltrate across the land or sea, despite the historic bombing of the Gaza Strip. Security officials believe that some of those who entered on October 7 may be hiding in preparation for a second attack.

“Hamas attacks did not happen in a vacuum.”

While many outside Israel see things from a different perspective. On Tuesday, October 24, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said, “Hamas’ attacks did not occur in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have been subjected to stifling occupation for 56 years.”

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, was so angry at the idea that Hamas' violence needed this context that he called on Guterres to resign. This feeling was not limited to those on the right of Israeli politics. Opposition leader Benny Gantz previously posted on Twitter, saying: “These are dark days when the Secretary-General of the United Nations condones terrorism,” as he put it.

But Germany, which was quick to show its support for Israel in the days following the October 7 attacks, confirmed that its ally's request was rejected. German government spokesman Stephen Hebstreit said in Berlin: “The Secretary-General of the United Nations, of course, has the confidence of the German government.”

Israelis do not deny that the events of October 7 require context. But for them, this context is not about mistreatment of Palestinians; They view the Hamas attack as “an extension of anti-Semitic attacks over the centuries,” they believe.

Western leaders showed their solidarity and support through Tel Aviv. This comes after a visit by US President Joe Biden, who provided billions in military aid and referred to what he believes is “painful Jewish history.”

The stock of Western sympathy for Israel is running out

After that visit, the Israelis felt protected. They believed that their plan to destroy Hamas would gain global sympathy, and with Israeli fighter planes flying in the skies of Gaza and their insane bombing of civilians; Which resulted in the killing of thousands. This sympathy came with consequences that the Israelis did not expect.

On Wednesday, October 25, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan canceled a visit to Israel that was scheduled to take place later this year, and added, “Hamas is not a terrorist organization, but rather a group of liberators and mujahideen who are defending their land and people. We will not allow Never, killing children." Türkiye also froze plans for energy cooperation with Israel.

Elsewhere in the Muslim world, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said no Muslim leader expected the events in Gaza to be resolved easily. He added that the reason for this is that "Israel has become very arrogant with the support of the United States and Europe. It is crazy to allow the slaughter of people, the killing of children, the bombing of hospitals, and the destruction of schools. It is the height of barbarism in this world."

Israel is trying to portray Hamas in the West as "the new ISIS" and has pledged to destroy the armed Palestinian movement, which the United States and the European Union classify as a terrorist organization.

“Describing Hamas as the new ISIS is not only analytically inaccurate, but also carries the risk of making all Gazans vulnerable targets,” said Lina Al-Khatib, director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS in London. “Arabs and Muslims widely reject this simplistic and dangerous characterization.” .

The war will expand

Many world leaders are calling for a ceasefire that would allow more aid into Gaza, although some describe this as a "humanitarian truce." On Tuesday, October 24, eight trucks entered, followed by 17 more on Wednesday, October 25, according to Israeli officials, who said their officers were checking all the trucks to make sure nothing was entering to help Hamas.

Tommaso della Longa, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said earlier this week that the aid that has arrived so far is “a drop in the ocean” of needed aid.

In Israel, as fears grow that Hezbollah may join the war and open a front in the north, some are talking about leaving for the United States or Europe, at least for a while. While others say that anti-Israel demonstrations in Western cities make them feel less safe abroad than at home.

While many Israelis say that this is a battle for the “Jewish homeland,” it is a “second war of independence,” as they claim. But it is still unclear what this will entail internally. Officials say weapons license applications are expected to triple.

source: Arabic Post