As per report, at least, 40000 Palestinians have lost their lives since October 7, 2023. The war crimes and genocide committed by the Israeli forces against the Palestinian civilians, since the start of the Israel-Hamas War, have been condemned by the majority of the world’s people and states. However, the response from the Muslim countries to Israeli war crimes has not been impressive. On 19th July 2024, Pakistan emerged as one of the few Muslim countries to have taken a hardcore approach towards Israel. The country declared Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu a terrorist officially for the first time under an agreement after the sit-in of a religious political party, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan. Under this agreement, the government has announced that it will take several steps to assist the civilians of Gaza. Hamas has welcomed these steps by the Pakistani government. These steps by the state of Pakistan help the Palestinian people in several ways.
TLP’s Sit-in and Demands: Influence and Impact
Saad Hussain Rizvi, the Chairperson of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) – a religious political party in Pakistan, staged a sit-in near Islamabad on 13th July 2024 on the issue of Palestine. TLP is known for its massive street power in Pakistan and its vigorous stance on religious matters, especially blasphemy. Although the TLP failed to achieve any substantial victory in the 2024 elections due to its scattered vote bank, it holds an unparalleled street power in the country. Over the years, the party has staged different sit-ins and has often compelled the state to surrender to its demands. It is the only party in the country that compelled a law minister to resign in 2017 and get its leadership released from jails in 2021 through protests.
The TLP party presented three demands to the government in its recent sit-in. These demands included: declaring the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu a terrorist, boycotting all Israeli brands and products officially, and dispatching medical and humanitarian aid to the civilians of Gaza on an urgent basis. The sit-in continued for almost 7 days. Initially, the government did not pay any heed to the demands of the protestors. However, the blockade of the Faizabad interchange forced the government to negotiate with the TLP leadership.
Israeli War Crimes in Gaza: International Reactions and Consequences
The Israeli government and its forces have been committing the worst war crimes in the history of mankind in Gaza since the commencement of the Israel-Hamas war. Thousands of civilians including women and children have been killed by the Israeli forces intentionally. The Israeli forces have also attacked the staff of different welfare organizations and the United Nations. According to Human Rights Watch, the Israeli forces have killed more than 250 aid workers since October 7, 2023. Hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches have also been the targets of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). Targeting hospitals is a war crime as per the International Humanitarian Law. Reports show that Israeli forces have deliberately targeted the Al-Quds Hospital, the Indonesian Hospital, the Al-Rantisi Hospital for children, the Al-Nasr Hospital, and the Al-Ahli Hospital along with many others in Gaza to torture the innocent Gazans and force them to migrate.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestine, Francesca Albanese, in her report, found “reasonable grounds” to believe that the state of Israel is committing genocide against the people of Gaza. The United States and some other Western countries have been supporting these war crimes of the Israeli state brazenly. The United States has vetoed several UN resolutions demanding a peaceful humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. On the other hand, the Muslim world did not take any significant steps to help the Palestinian people. South Africa emerged as the leading country to file a case against Israeli war crimes in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Many other countries also joined in on this case later.
Pakistani Government’s Response: Policy Changes and Humanitarian Aid
Despite international objections, Israel is still committing war crimes in Gaza. Israel is using hunger as a weapon of war against the people of Gaza. Many international brands are directly or indirectly supporting Israel in these war crimes. The Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) movement calls for the boycott of pro-Israeli brands and their products. The TLP party in Pakistan has long been demanding an official ban on pro-Israel products. However, the government overlooked their protests and demands over the past few months. This resulted in a successful sit-in at Faizabad. Thousands of the party workers joined this protest.
Ultimately, the Pakistani government acceded to the demands of the TLP leadership. In a press conference with the TLP leadership, Rana Sanaullah, the advisor to the Pakistani Prime Minister, stated, “Netanyahu is a terrorist and a perpetrator of war crimes. We demand that he [Netanyahu] be put on trial. We wholeheartedly condemn this cruelty [Israel’s actions in Gaza], Israel, and all the powers that are involved in it.” He also announced that the Pakistani government will dispatch 1000 tons of aid to the Palestinian people in Gaza by 31st July. Moreover, the creation of a special committee was also announced in the press conference to identify and ban brands and companies involved in supporting Israel directly or indirectly in its war crimes. These announcements by the Pakistani government have been welcomed all around the world. Hamas hailed these moves by the Pakistani government. Humanitarian aid by the Pakistani government could help reduce the medical and hunger issues in Palestine. Moreover, these steps have further strengthened the Palestinian cause as the people of Gaza are waiting for assistance from the humans of the world. Boycott of the pro-Israel brands, companies, and their products can trigger similar actions in other countries of the world as well. All the countries supporting humanity should take all possible steps to stop the war crimes and genocide in Israel.
Abbas Hashemite – is a political observer and research analyst for regional and global geopolitical issues. He is currently working as an independent researcher and journalist, exclusively for “New Eastern Outlook”.