As a defender of freedom and human rights, I vehemently reject the farce of those who raise white flags while pulling the trigger. Peace is not negotiated with blood, nor do human rights bow to irrational fanaticism. Terrorism, in all its forms, is an affront to humanity, and even more outrageous is the hypocrisy of those who selectively condemn human rights violations while remaining silent in the face of tyrannies and atrocities that suit them.
This article analyzes the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the terrorism that poisons it and the incoherence of those who cry for justice in Gaza but defend or ignore regimes like that of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, complicit in crimes against humanity and drug trafficking that poisons Europe.
decades of pain
The confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians, which has over 77 yearsis a cycle of violence that intensified with the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. Since the Balfour Declaration of 1917who supported a Jewish homeland in Palestine, until the Nakba (catastrophe) of 1948, which displaced thousands of Palestinians, the conflict has accumulated wars (1967, 1973), intifadas (1987-1993, 2000-2005) and clashes in Gaza (2008, 2012, 2014, 2021). The occupation of the West Bank and the blockade of Gaza since 2007, along with the more than 700,000 Israeli settlers in occupied territories, aggravate the humanitarian crisis. This cycle has left people dead on both sides and millions displaced.
What are the parties looking for?
The objectives are diverse and fragmented. The Palestinian National Authority (PNA), led by Fatahhas historically supported a model of coexistence, as proposed in the Oslo Accords (1993)seeking a Palestinian state in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. However, Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, pursues a radical agenda.
His 1988 letter advocates the destruction of Israel to establish an Islamic State throughout historic Palestine. Although in 2017 it temporarily accepted a state on the 1967 borders, its actions, such as the attack of the October 7, 2023and the statements of leaders such as Ghazi Hamad They reveal that their goal remains the elimination of Israel.
Iranthe main financier of Hamas, with millions of dollars annually, shares this vision, supporting groups such as Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad to destabilize the region. For them, coexistence seems an obstacle to their ideological goal of erasing Israel from the map. Israel, for its part, prioritizes its security, but the expansion of settlements and the blockade complicate the possibilities of dialogue.
October 7: an unjustifiable massacre
The attack on October 7, 2023, led by Hamas with support from Islamic Jihad, was a brutal act of terrorism that took the lives of more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, including 36 children, and took 251 hostages. This massacre, the deadliest for Israel since the Holocaust, was justified by Hamas as a response to the occupation and tensions in Al-Aqsa, but its cruelty – murders, rapes, kidnappings – has no excuse.
Iran, which provides weapons and funds to Hamas, and Qatar, which has allegedly funneled millions to Gaza, have played indirect roles, but the responsibility lies with Hamas, whose strategy sacrifices innocent lives to fuel its agenda. The Israeli response brought consequences such as more deaths in Gaza, many of them civilians; The tragedy has intensified, showing that terrorism and disproportionate retaliation only perpetuate suffering.
The hypocrisy of selective defenders
As outrageous as terrorism is the hypocrisy of those who selectively condemn it. There are those who raise their voices about the human rights violations in Gaza – and rightly so, since each dead child is a wound to humanity, like the scars still raw on the more than three thousand families grieving the loss of their loved ones due to the vile attacks on World Trade Center of New York – but they remain complicitly silent in the face of the tyranny of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
This regime, identified as responsible for committing crimes against humanity, in the six reports prepared by the Independent Fact-Finding Mission to the UN, represses, tortures and murders its people while facilitating drug trafficking that floods the United States and Europe with cocaine. Furthermore, in the face of other abominable facts, we ask ourselves: Where are the protests of these “defenders” when women are stoned to death, homosexuals are burned at bonfires, or minorities are persecuted in the name of fanatical beliefs? They remain silent in the face of the atrocities of regimes that support Hamas either Hezbollahbut they cry out against Israel. This double standard is not justice; It’s cynicism.
And let us not forget that radical Islamist terrorism has hit Europe with the same viciousness, claiming the lives of innocents, including children and the elderly. In Londonthe attacks of July 7, 2005 left 52 dead and more than 700 injured in the subway and a bus, attacking workers and families at rush hour. In Manchesteron May 22, 2017, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb at a concert Ariana Grandekilling 22 people, many of them girls and adolescents – the youngest, an eight-year-old girl – and injuring more than 1,000. people.
In France, the attacks of Paris on November 13, 2015, claimed by the Islamic State, took 130 lives in cafes, a stadium and a concert hall, including elderly people enjoying a cultural night. In Spain, bombings on trains Madrid On March 11, 2004, carried out by Islamist extremists, they killed 193 civilians – including children and grandparents on their daily commute – and injured 2,000 more. It was one of the deadliest attacks in recent European history. and in Barcelonaon August 17, 2017, a truck ran over pedestrians on Las Ramblas, leaving 16 dead, including a Belgian grandmother with her grandchildren, on a tourist walk. These cowardly acts, which do not distinguish between ages or vulnerabilities, demonstrate that fanaticism does not respect human life.
Terrorism, whether in Gaza, Caracas, London, Madrid or in the US, cannot be justified with discourses of “resistance.” Stoning women, burning people for their sexual orientation, cutting the throats of innocent people in the name of any ideology, arresting, torturing, disappearing and extrajudicially executing people, are acts of barbarism that must be condemned without hesitation.
A path to peace
Peace requires rejecting terrorism and hypocrisy. Crimes against civilians, whether Hamas rockets or Israeli bombings, must be defused as soon as possible. The international community must demand effective dialogue to achieve a ceasefire and justice. But the question remains: Can there be peace if Hamas and Iran prioritize the destruction of Israel over coexistence? The solution requires all sides to recognize each other’s right to exist, cease violence and address historical injustices, such as the occupation and the refugee crisis. Empathy for the victims – in Gaza, in Israel, in France, in England, in the United States, in Venezuela or in any corner of the world – must guide us. Let us reject fanaticism and double standards. Let’s build a future where reason and humanity prevail.
On September 29, at a press conference at the White House, the president of the United States, donald trumppresented a 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, free all living hostages and the remains of the deceased, in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
The official White House document details a phased approach, with emphasis on security, disarmament and economic development. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahuendorsed the plan during the bilateral meeting, describing it as a “critical step” to end the conflict and advance regional peace. trump He called it “potentially one of the great days in civilization.” The main objective is to end the conflict, dismantle the military and political capabilities of Hamasfree all Israeli hostages and rebuild Gaza as a “terror free zone” no threat to Israel. Among the 20 points is a path that leads to a Palestinian State.
The plan was developed with contributions from figures such as the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The UK sees potential for regional normalizations and supported Blair’s role and the ceasefire. The role of mediators such as Qatar and Egypt has been valuable, while Australia and Canada reveal “cautious optimism”, focused on humanitarian aid.
The plan has been welcomed by other regional and European leaders, who see it as “a pragmatic step towards peace, especially for its emphasis on humanitarian aid and security.” The European Union (Antonio Costa, president of the European Council) was “encouraged” by the response of Netanyahu; He urged all parties to “seize this moment to give peace a genuine chance.” Giorgia Meloni calls it a “turning point”; Therefore, Italy urges to accept the plan. Spokesmen from Germany and France recognized their realism in security and reconstruction, with a willingness to support an eventual “Peace Board.”
Arab and Islamic countries (in a joint statement by foreign ministers) of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Egypt and Jordan, applauded Trump’s “sincere leadership” to stop the “bloodshed” and assured a “constructive engagement” for its implementation, emphasizing full Israeli withdrawal and two-state solution.
For his part, the president of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan“praised efforts for a ceasefire”; and Indonesia “joined in supporting an end to Palestinian suffering.” Pakistan welcomed the plan “for its focus on hostages and reconstruction,” although it reiterated support for Palestine. The Palestinian Authority (AP) praised it as “sincere effort.” Hamas sees him as “servile to Israel” and rejects disarmament; They promise to review it “in good faith,” leaving many observers wondering: Is it unlikely that they will accept? Humanity longs for peace, that is the way to follow; If you do not do so, the far-fetched excuses will not be valid.
