By Makram Ahmed Al Tarawneh
Editor-in-Chief, Al Ghad, Jordan
AMMAN: It was a simple question posed by His Majesty King Abdullah II in his address at the Plenary Session of the 80th General Assembly of the United Nations in New York, regarding the provocative calls of the extremist Zionist government, and its open endorsement of a maximalist “Greater Israel”. The King asked: “… if a similar outrageous call were made by an Arab leader … would it be met with the same global apathy?”
The apathy the King was referring to is a set of behaviors of the international community toward the transgressions of the rogue entity, through which it seeks to destabilize and undermine security in the region and create a fragile reality through which it can alter the maps of the region’s countries, thus realizing its racist Talmudic myths, which do not view other human beings as partners in humanity, but rather as mere strangers or “goyim,” as its racist narratives describe them and deem acceptable to kill and annihilate.
From brutal war crimes and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, to crimes in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, including land confiscation, the violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon and Syria and the occupation of their territories, to attacks on Iran, Yemen, and Qatar, and the publication of hybrid maps of new borders for countries in the region, the Zionist entity acts as if it has full authority to do whatever it wants in the world, A world that appears to be helpless and powerless to repel the Zionist “fate” that is bound to befall it in the end.
I cannot imagine the international community daring to provide an answer to the King’s question. Whatever the answer, it will certainly undermine its credibility and impartiality and confirm that there is deviant behavior and favoritism that is killing justice and equality on our planet. It will also confirm that the “spoiled child – Israel” is receiving superhuman treatment that allows it to commit any kind of atrocity without facing any accountability.
For years, King Abdallah has used international platforms and meetings to highlight the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, invariably asserting that ignoring it will lead to wider conflicts and deeper disputes, and ultimately threatening peace and stability throughout the world.
However, the world has ignored these warnings, and has continued to practice a dangerous double standard regarding the rights of the Palestinian people who have been subjected to the most heinous crimes without receiving any international sympathy.
Today, after the Zionist entity has revealed its true face and its fascist racism through its brutal practices across the entire Arab countries, the imbalance of security and stability threatening the region and the world is clearly evident.
The King’s statements seemed like prophecies about to come true. He warned of such an abnormal situation many years ago, emphasizing that the world will reach a moment of explosion if the international community does not quickly intervene, recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and acknowledge their right to an independent state along the June 4, 1967 borders.
A Palestinian state, as the King said, ” is not something Palestinians need to earn. It is not a reward — it is an indisputable right.”
The fact that the international community is now taking this path is a correction of its compass that has long deviated from its direction. It is an end to the injustice against Palestinians who have struggled for decades, clinging to their right to self-determination.
While it is fair that the international community is finally recognizing Palestinian rights, King Abdallah’s question will remain unanswered, because any reply would be shameful, and no one would want to hear it.
