WITH the targeted assassination of Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran on July 30 and a Hezbollah commander in Beirut a day before, the Middle East is once again overcast by the dark clouds of a possible war. Israeli officials are gloating that the head of Hamas, which had carried out the Oct 7, 2023, strike on Israel, has been killed. However, they can never rest in peace because in the past 10 months, their country has killed nearly 40,000 innocent residents of Gaza and erased much of its infrastructure.
Global public opinion has turned against Israel, including in the US, which is by far Israel’s staunchest supporter. During the recent address to the US Congress by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, most TV channels were telecasting the demonstrations taking place inside the Capitol building. Many sober voices in the US, like Senator Bernie Sanders, have openly criticised the welcome accorded to a war criminal.