Middle-East on the edge, it’s time to act

If there is one region in the world which has always been at the centre of attention through the centuries, it is the Middle-East. Considered the crucible of the Mesopotamian, Babylonian and Byzantine civilisations which evolved and reached their pinnacle here, the region also saw the birth of influential religions like Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

What is even more important is the fact that the Middle-East is one of the major oil producers of the world with the huge oil flow crucial in fueling economic development, whether it be the developed or developing countries.

It is because of these very reasons that any ripple in the region, immediately catches the attention of the world community for its future is inextricably linked to peace and calm in the Middle-East.

In the past six months, this peace has been shredded to pieces with over 33,000 people including a good number of children and women becoming victims of countless bombs and shells dropped by Israeli forces in a counter offensive after the Hamas attack in October last year.

There are no signs of peace returning to the Gaza Strip, the epi centre of the conflict, in the near future.

And now, after the attack launched by Iran with countless drones and missiles on Israel after a recent attack on its embassy in Damascus, peace has never looked as distant as now.

On the contrary, the Middle-East now stands on the brink of another regional war which could draw many more countries into the whirlpool of death and destruction.

A counter offensive by Israel on Iran cannot be ruled out and the implications of such an attack could have a cascading effect impacting world peace like never before, say experts.

Many had seen this coming considering the inexplicable manner in which the world including the super powers had responded to the Gaza conflict so far.

To allow a conflict to stretch on unnecessarily and by ensuring supplies of the required arms and deadly bombs, countries like the US and UK cannot brush aside the role they played in allowing the war to continue even at the cost of the killing of thousands of innocent civilians in Gaza.

There is no doubt that Israel would have had second thoughts about continuing its relentless bombardment of Gaza had the supplies of arms and equipment been denied to it by the western powers but that has not happened so far.

So despite occasional expressions of annoyance about Israel’s targeting of civilians, countries like the US and its allies have no doubt played a role in pushing the Middle-East to the brink of a devastating regional conflict which could touch enormous proportions endangering world peace.

So where do we go from here? Are we likely to see a war between Israel and Hamas, assume menacing proportions spilling into the neighborhood and ever impacting the economies of several countries which are dependent on oil supplies from the region?

Has the world lost its collective will power to force warring nations to bring hostilities to a halt and ensure less human suffering?

Are countries whose economies are crucially dependent on the profits of armamentbased industries waiting for more conflagrations so that they can reap rich dividends?

And what about the hapless people of Gaza who are now forced to live lives of depravity, denied food, housing, health facilities and schooling for their kids?

Fears are being expressed that Israel may strike back which could take the conflict to a point of no return.

And so this is the time to act and if the world powers at this crucial juncture in history, fail to do by deciding that enough is enough and the deaths have crossed all bounds, it could prove suicidal for them too.

For there is no forgiveness for those who kept watching in silence as war and death took its toll.