Iranians wave Palestinian flags and hold portraits of slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at Palestine square in the capital Tehran on July 31 2024 during a protest denouncing his killing. While the BRICS Plus countries such as Russia, China, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and South Africa are appealing for ceasefire, making efforts of reconciliation and supporting talks while insisting on the international rule of law, the West continues to back the barbarism of Bibi, the writer says. – Picture: AFP
By Wesley Seale
In the wake of the assassination of former Palestinian Prime Minister in Gaza and political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, a post on X (former known as Twitter) read: “If the resistance ended with the assassination of leaders, it would have ended with the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin…”
A quadriplegic from the age of 12, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin founded the Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya or the Islamic Resistance Movement, commonly known as Hamas in 1987, and would go on to serve as the movement’s spiritual leader.
Some have suggested that it was a direct result of the First Intifada, or Uprising, which caught the Fatah movement of Yasser Arafat and the broader Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) by complete surprise.
As on October 7, 2023, Palestinians in 1987 had become impatient with their continuous suffering particularly under Zionist military occupation in the West Bank and Gaza.
But like the death of Haniyeh, 20 years later, Sheikh Yassin was assassinated by the Israelis using an AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship firing Hellfire missiles.
According to the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, Haniyeh, who had earlier attended the inauguration of the new Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was killed in the early hours of Wednesday morning when a projectile hit a residence allocated to war veterans.
The Palestinian leader had been in Tehran two months ago for the funeral of the former Iranian president Ibrahim Raisi.
At the funeral, Haniyeh was the only foreign leader afforded the honour of an address and paid tribute to Raisi who had, in Haniyeh’s words, “promised that Iran will continue to support the Palestinian people until the aspirations of the people and the nation are met”.
During the same visit to Tehran, the first time Haniyeh was reported to have been seen in public since October 7, 2023, he also met with the leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It was in that meeting with Haniyeh that Ayatollah Khamenei praised Hamas for their ability to exemplify such resolute resistance, in the face of Zionist aggression backed by their allies in the United States and European Union.
Even in the face of the possibility that the Zionist entity could be guilty of crimes against humanity and genocide, the Biden administration as well as many European countries have been relentless in their unwavering support of Israel.
Just over a week ago, the United States Congress afforded Benjamin Netanyahu, who is being investigated as a war criminal by the International Criminal Court, the historic opportunity to address a joint sitting of Congress for a historic fourth time.
In that address, Netanyahu, echoed the sentiments of George W Bush 23 years earlier, framing his speech in “them and us” rhetoric.
Those who oppose Israeli genocide, those who stood up for the international rule of law and those who simply exercise their right to protest as well as differ with Netanyahu were labelled as “barbaric” and “useful idiots of Iran”.
Many Congress members rose to applaud Netanyahu despite many of their constituents protesting outside.
It was a fight between the barbarians and the civilised world, shouted Netanyahu.
Yet in the face of peace talks in Qatar, so as to release Israeli hostages and bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and address the extraordinary humanitarian plight, as well as the efforts by international role-players such as China to unite the Palestinian leaders, it is the actions of Netanyahu and his rogue regime that have been the most barbaric.
Make no mistake, as Ayatollah Khamenei articulated, Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis are mere non-state entities yet they were able to take on the greatest powers of the world, head-on.
While the international community may appeal to their sensibilities, these groups have no obligations under international law as the so-called state of Israel has.
Extra-judicial killings, deliberate violent targeting of one’s opponents, and the continuous infliction of genocide on the Palestinian people are the most barbaric actions the international community has witnessed in years.
Yet as the barbarian Bibi was addressing Congress, Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, was leading efforts in Beijing to bring unity to the Palestinian people.
The Chinese, among many former oppressed peoples of the world, realise that oppression, devastation and external interference can only be defeated if a people are united.
Among 14 Palestinian groups, senior leaders of Fatah and Hamas came together in Beijing in order to forge a united way forward to ensure, in Wang Yi’s words, “an agreement…on post- Gaza war governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government.”
The agreement in Beijing between Hamas and PLO leaders follows a similar move towards unity in Cairo in 2017 which was facilitated by Arab leaders.
When hearing of the death of the Hamas leader, Haniyeh, Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, urged the Palestinian people “and their forces to unite, remain patient, and stand firm against Israeli occupation”.
Therefore, it must be clear to the international community that while the BRICS Plus countries such as Russia, China, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and South Africa as well as countries such as Qatar are appealing for ceasefire, making efforts of reconciliation and supporting talks while insisting on the international rule of law, the West continues to back the barbarism of Bibi.
At the emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) called in the wake of Haniyeh’s assassination, China expressed its condemnation of the irresponsible actions of Israel, including attacks on southern Beirut.
Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative at the United Nations, emphasized that military solutions and the abuse of force were not viable paths to resolution but would only escalate the crisis further.
Hitherto what has become blatantly clear is that the United States and the European Union have proven their failure in seeking a just resolution to the Palestinian question.
Their efforts in the last eight decades have led to nothing but violence and perpetuating Israeli aggression.
It is time for BRICS Plus countries to lead and ensure an end to what seems to be one of humanity’s longest injustices.
* Dr Wesley Seale has a PhD in international relations.
** The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of The African