It would be naive to think that the problem in Gaza and the hostilities between the Arabs and the Jews started recently. That area Israel as we know today was formerly part of Palestine and the biblical Kingdom of Judah and the Jewish people come from that land.

The Arabs and the Jews were living side by side for centuries. In 1947, the United Nations partitioned Palestine into two, Arab Palestine and Jewish Palestine. The Jewish Palestine declared its independence on May 14, 1948 and the nation of Israel was born.

The problem that you see today started from that point of time. The Arab countries could not accept the partition and from the Palestine point of view, they still refuse to accept the creation of Israel by the United Nations.

For the problem to cease, the Arab nations around the region thought they must conquer and take over Israel. They have tried and they have failed and Hamas now feels that they have the right to fight for the land. I do not know how it will serve their purpose by shooting rockets into Israel and I do not know what they hope to achieve.

Honestly, in a situation of war, does one talk about human rights? In recent years you have seen the abuse of human rights in so many war-torn countries. In war, do you talk of unequal firepower and are you suggesting that if the Hamas fires 30 rockets into Israel, Israel must reciprocate with an equal number of rockets so that a semblance of fairness prevails?

In a situation of hostilities, we have seen that both parties will take all measures to break the socio-economic structure of the country. A good example is the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Americans during World War Two.

The sad part of this story is that right and wrong is nothing but a matter of perception. Khairy Jamaluddin has shown solidarity with the Palestine people. I applaud the fact that he has raised RM100,000 for humanitarian aid, but I think what they need are courageous leaders like him to lead the group in Palestine, help the people at ground zero, not hot rhetoric at the Palestinian embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

In the meantime, you have seen how ‘powerful’ the United Nations is. The country of Israel created by them has now refused to heed any of their calls for a cease-fire. While the people of the world protest, the killings in Gaza will continue.