Some 1.5 million evacuees are taking refuge in Rafah in the southernmost portion of the Palestinian autonomous territory of Gaza.
The Israeli military has begun invading eastern Rafah under the pretext of sweeping out militants of Hamas, the Islamist group.
The Israeli armed forces are set to further expand their military operations there in the days and months to come.
What they are doing is to exert military force to drive out people who have lost their family members and residences to the war and are barely eking out an existence. This is too unjust to be permitted.
Israel should stop its attacks and seriously participate in peace talks.
More than 100,000 Palestinians have evacuated at the order of the Israeli military. A U.N. official said that most are civilians who have already had to be displaced five or six times.
We are left to wonder where still they are supposed to flee, given that social infrastructure has collapsed across Gaza and water, food and health care services are in short supply.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that an assault on Rafah would be a “humanitarian nightmare.” And that is looming as more of a real possibility.
The international community should do its utmost to stop a full-scale invasion of Rafah.
It is so disappointing that Israel’s military operation in Rafah has broken off the peace talks that had been mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States.
Hamas had said it would accept a cease-fire proposal that had been presented by the mediator countries.
It is all too natural that angry reactions were aroused by the attitude of Israel, which used the lives of civilians as shields in attempting to gain an advantage in the talks.
A senior U.S. government official said he believes that both sides can still close the remaining gaps.
The death toll in Gaza has reached some 35,000, with women accounting for nearly one-third of them. More than 13,000 children have been killed.
An immediate cease-fire is necessary for stopping more bloodshed. The mediator nations should not give up on their efforts to persuade both parties.
Worthy of note here is a shift in the stance of the United States, a consistent backer of Israel.
Washington said in a report it submitted to Congress that Israeli security forces likely used U.S.-supplied weapons in a way “inconsistent” with Israel’s international humanitarian law obligations during the military operation in Gaza.
U.S. President Joe Biden warned that Washington would withhold some of its arms supplies to Israel if the latter were to wage a large-scale military operation in Rafah.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, has insisted his country will “stand alone” against Hamas if it has to.
Netanyahu is likely fearing that losing the support of far-right political parties, which have even denied that Palestinians exist, could result in the collapse of his coalition government.
He should, however, realize how foolish it would be to prioritize a prolongation of his own political life at the cost of losing the support of Israel’s biggest ally, which is indispensable for ensuring the security of his nation.
Japan has played an active role in providing humanitarian aid to Palestine while at the same time maintaining ties with Israel. Tokyo has made it clear that it is opposed to an invasion of Rafah.
Japan should work with the United States, European nations and other parties to further step up its diplomatic efforts to avoid a humanitarian tragedy.
--The Asahi Shimbun, May 12
EDITORIAL: Israel should halt its unjustified invasion of Palestine’s Rafah
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13.05.2024
Some 1.5 million evacuees are taking refuge in Rafah in the southernmost portion of the Palestinian autonomous territory of Gaza.
The Israeli military has begun invading eastern Rafah under the pretext of sweeping out militants of Hamas, the Islamist group.
The Israeli armed forces are set to further expand their military operations there in the days and months to come.
What they are doing is to exert military force to drive out people who have lost their family members and residences to the war and are barely eking out an existence. This is too unjust to be permitted.
Israel should stop its attacks and seriously participate in peace talks.
More than 100,000 Palestinians have evacuated at the order of the Israeli military. A U.N. official said that most are civilians who have already had to be displaced five or six times.
We are left to wonder where still they are........
© The Asahi Shimbun
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