- Why is the world watching as thousands of Palestinians are murdered in broad daylight?
- Why is the world not reacting to the Palestinian map shrinking right out of the world map?
Our journalism department was adorned by hanging scrolls of famous quotes. Through the many quotes and many great philosophers of our time, only one quote has stuck with me since then. “Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” This is one of the more popular quotes by the philosopher and poet George Santayana.
If you think about it, it is just a more eloquent way of saying we learn from our mistakes. We talk about mistakes like they are a great lesson, through history we learn about the rise and fall of greater and more powerful nations and kingdoms than those that exist today.
Take Japan, for instance, during the political height of the Japanese Empire (Imperial Japan), the country was unrivalled in its brutal military tactics. At its peak, Imperial Japan mercilessly invaded, occupied and economically maimed most of the East Asian countries. They were brutal, they were powerful and they were unrivalled. So much so that the Empire’s biggest ally was America, another powerful nation.
Years later, when Imperial Japan collapsed and most East Asian countries regained their autonomy, the Japanese were tried for the war crimes they committed across East Asia. Where were their great allies when the country was exposed and held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity? Yes, that’s right. The allies were nowhere to be found.
The same can be said of Germany and Britain. Once powerful nations that dominated over the weak countries by committing various acts of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the name of imperialism or colonisation. During the time, these countries knew very well what they were doing was illegal, immoral and simply a display of power over the weak. However, when these nations are held accountable for their past actions, they get shifty as they make it seem like mistakes that were made by their ancestors.
Which brings us back to Santayana’s quote; if the world’s history is riddled with the powerful suppressing the weak then pretending not to know any better when they are held accountable, why is it still happening to date?
Why is the world watching as thousands of Palestinians are murdered in broad daylight? Why is the world not reacting to the Palestinian map shrinking right out of the world map? And why are the other superpowers backing up the powerful as they attack the powerless?
Twenty years ago, America invaded the Middle East because they were attacking the ‘terrorist organisations’ that threatened their country. Their invasions only laid waste to countries that were thriving democracies while multiplying the guerilla movements who rose up to fight against the invasion. As they face the consequences of their invasion of the Middle East and their agendas being exposed, the Americans are calling it an unfortunate incident.
Yet here they are, backing up Israel as it continues to lay waste to the little patch of land that is still considered Palestine. The Western countries are all backing up their ally in the name of defence. The real question should be defence from what? It is evident that Israel is stronger a thousandfold than Palestine.
Years to come, when the Israelis are no longer as powerful and being held accountable for their actions, the great allies will disperse faster than roaches when the light comes on. Before you get all up in arms about my statement of Israel being no longer powerful in the future, I suggest we revisit history. Ask Japan, ask Russia, ask the greatest coloniser of all time, Britain, where is their great power today?
So as we watch the atrocities being committed to the Palestinians, ask yourself this, when today’s events become tomorrow's history, which side of history will you be on?