By Chandra Muzaffar
What the Israeli government had purportedly done to
civilians in Lebanon on the 16 th of September 2024 was a blatant,
dastardly act of terrorism. Detonating bombs placed in pagers
and other communication devices used by innocent civilians was
an attempt to spread fear and tension within the populace, apart
from its more obvious goal of killing or maiming individuals.
According to various sources, 37 people were killed, including a
number of children. More than 3000 others were injured, many
severely.
It is important to emphasise that those killed or injured were not
from Northern Lebanon where a military clash is raging between
the Israeli army and Hizbollah, the movement that is resisting
Israeli hegemony in West Asia including Lebanon. The Israeli
terrorist operation appears to have targeted several cities,
including Beirut, Lebanon’s capital. Its larger aim — apart from
what has been stated here —- could be to turn a segment of the
citizenry against Hizbollah in a volatile situation where different
groups are competing for power and control with the active
support of foreign actors.
The political dimensions of the conflict in Lebanon
notwithstanding, the Israeli terror attack of 16 th September should
be condemned by all those who reject terrorism as ideology and
political practice. It is significant in this regard that while some
Western governments have condemned Israel’s action, the
United States Administration has been reticent about Israel’s
role. This is one of the main reasons why the far right government
of Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv has become bolder and bolder
in its bellicose behaviour in West Asia. It knows that the majority
of American leaders will continue to support the Israeli
government blindly, even when it commits terrorism and murder.
For those of us who have a genuine commitment to human rights
and human dignity, we remain consistent in our opposition to
terrorism, whoever the perpetrator is. That is a defining attribute
of our credo.
Dr Chandra Muzaffar,
President,
International Movement for a Just World (JUST).
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
23 September 2024.