Op-Ed
Hossein Askari
21st Century Wire
It is Time for Arabs and Muslims to End Their Shameful Inaction
What we see unfolding in Gaza is genocide, plain and simple. Israel is on a killing spree that puts humanity to shame while Arabs and Muslims watch. There is no point going into who did this and who did that. History is clear. The apartheid state of Israel, supported by its philosophy of Zionism, will not compromise. America is in large part responsible for what we see today—blind support with arms, money, pressure on countries to refrain from criticizing Israeli policies and yes, dozens of vetoes at the UN Security Council; vetoes that have made a mockery of the international rule of law and of support for democratic values, which have in turn turned much of the world against the United States.
It’s high time for Arabs and Muslims to stand up. Enough is enough! Give Israel and the United States five days to back down. Restore Palestinian rights and establish a just two-state solution, what has been called for since 1948. If not, refrain from armed conflict, but instead place an embargo on the export of oil and liquified natural gas to the world. It’s that simple.
The threat of oil prices going over $500 per barrel and the world economy going into the biggest tailspin since the Great Depression will get results.
This message would be best telegraphed by an Iran-Saudi communiqué to the world signaling that their recent rapprochement is more than show and tell.
How will the world react?
The choice for the United States will be stark.
Blindly support an apartheid regime or stand for humanity and justice?
Israel and the United States will have NO CHOICE but to back down and address the long-standing injustice imposed on the Palestinian people.
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Author Hossein Askari is an Emeritus Iran Professor of International Business and International Affairs at the George Washington University. In 1991, he was asked by the governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia to mediate and restore their diplomatic relations and by the government of Kuwait to improve relations with Iran.
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