Halimah Yacob Addresses Increasing Death Toll Of Palestinians In Gaza
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and countless other casualties.
With seemingly no imminent signs of stopping, former Singapore president Halimah Yacob expressed her frustration with the situation via a Facebook post.
In the passionate post, she questioned the lack of humanity towards Gaza and pointed out what little the world has done to assist Palestinian victims of the conflict.
Halimah Yacob addresses rising death toll in Gaza
On Tuesday (12 Dec), Madam Halimah took to Facebook to share her view on the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Source: Halimah Yacob on Facebook
She pointed out that the conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 17,000 Palestinians in just two months, majority of them women and children.
Despite the rising death toll, Madam Halimah noted that “the world is immobilised”.
Perhaps referring to the war in Ukraine that erupted last year, she wondered why the responses have been different, stating,
We invoked humanity, when it is convenient, for so many other causes, yet when 17,000 Palestinians are being killed, in just two months, the majority of them women and children, the world is immobilised. Are our hearts so hardened that we chose not to be moved by pictures of babies being killed, children crying for their dead parents and two million people fleeing for their lives with nowhere safe to go?
Madam Halimah went on to claim that the safe zone for Palestinians in the Gaza strip was “no bigger than London’s Heathrow Airport.”
Source: AP via ABC News
In addition, Palestinians reportedly have no access to infrastructure, water, electricity and other basic amenities for survival.
“Even the UN and International Red Cross have described [the safe zone] as unlivable,” she said.
Furthermore, Madam Halimah alleged that even Palestinians who escaped death by bombs are dying of “starvation, diseases and untreated injuries” due to the blockage of aid.
Questions significance of international laws
The former president then questioned the importance of international laws if they could be “broken with impunity” despite global protests.
Directly aiming her queries at the United Nations (UN), she asked, “What’s the role of the UN which has been severely undermined in this war?”
According to Madam Halimah, the UN has said that Israel has repeatedly violated international laws, which prohibit collective punishment of innocent civilians, while exercising its right to self-defence.
Seeing the seeming ineffectiveness of such laws, she warned of the possible implications:
If it counts for nothing, then be very fearful of the rule of the mighty over the weak. Of chaos and disorder particularly dangerous for vulnerable small states.
Should the current conflict end, Madam Halimah also thought about the lessons we could learn from a world “so indifferent to the pain and suffering of a people.”
She wondered if the value of people’s humanity depends on who they are. Beyond the human casualties, she claimed that the “biggest victims in the Gaza war” are principles and values, which could “count for nothing in the future” if that was truly the case.
Calls for people to stand on the side of humanity
Madam Halimah concluded her thoughts by urging people to “stand on the side of humanity.”
Reflecting on history, she quipped that, “Humans never learn. We are doomed to repeat the same mistakes. Security is not achieved through the barrels of a gun. ”
Instead of resorting to violence, she posited that security requires effort over a long period of time and cannot be established overnight.
With regard to the conflict in Gaza, she confronted everyone with the question of how they would explain the death and destruction happening now to future generations.
“How do we explain what’s happening when they see so much death and destruction and they wonder why?” she asked. “Do we tell them that humanity failed?”
Also read: Bilahari’s Op-Ed About Gaza Doesn’t Emphasise Illegal Actions Of Israeli Government, Says Shanmugam
Bilahari’s Op-Ed About Gaza Doesn’t Emphasise Illegal Actions Of Israeli Government, Says Shanmugam
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Featured image adapted from Halimah Yacob on Facebook and Motaz Azaiza on Facebook.
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