Lingering doubts among fair-minded members of the global community have now been erased: what is unfolding in the Middle East is nothing short of evil. The events in Gaza qualify as genocide—by every standard and definition.
By Abubakar Shekara
Gaza evokes memories of the Holocaust, with one grim twist: the perpetrators of this modern-day atrocity are the very people whose ancestors were its victims. The irony is cruel. Israel, which once drew global sympathy from the ashes of Nazi brutality, is now the architect of a campaign of racial cleansing against Palestinian women and children. The comparison to the Third Reich is no longer hyperbolic—many now view Israel’s conduct as even more brazen. The moral capital Israel amassed over the last 60 years is vanishing before our eyes.
But Gaza wasn’t the end. Not for Netanyahu. Israel’s unprovoked first strike against Iran has confirmed what many analysts long suspected: Tel Aviv is pushing for full-scale regional war, with the United States expected to take the lead.
In a matter of days, Netanyahu has dragged the world to the brink. His actions provoked a predictable reprisal from Iran—and enticed a willing President Donald Trump into conflict, despite Trump’s “America First” rhetoric and the anti-war sentiments of the American electorate that voted him into power.
Now it is clear: the United States, Israel, and their Western allies are determined to go to war with Iran—without legal or moral justification. The claim that Iran is building a nuclear bomb has been debunked by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), yet Trump has ordered strikes on “Iranian nuclear sites” anyway, echoing the false pretenses that led to the Iraq War.
Israel’s crimes in Gaza and the West Bank—and the belligerence of both Netanyahu and Trump in relation to Iran—are not in dispute. Their impunity is staggering, exceeding even the ruthlessness of medieval warlords. The key question now is whether the international community will, once again, allow such atrocities to pass unchallenged.
Despite sustained U.S. attacks, Iran continues its assault on Israel, seemingly unfazed by Washington’s involvement. At this point, Tehran stands gallantly alone. Yet the real test isn’t Iran’s endurance—it is whether Israel can enforce its self-proclaimed “right to defend itself” without external military muscle.
The true test lies with Iran’s most powerful ally: Russia.
President Vladimir Putin has made bold declarations since hostilities began. But will Moscow act on its warnings that U.S. intervention will trigger Russian involvement—or will this posturing dissolve into hollow rhetoric? If Russia truly aims to project global power and solidarity with its allies, this is the moment to act.
The same goes for China, Pakistan, and North Korea—nations that style themselves as a counterbalance to Western hegemony. Now is the time for them to demonstrate whether they are worthy allies—or if, when the twelfth hour strikes, they will abandon Iran to face its enemies alone.
