What the Israeli government had purportedly done to civilians in Lebanon on the 16th of September 2024 was a blatant, dastardly act of terrorism. Detonating bombs placed in pagers and other communication devices used by innocent civilians was an attempt to spread fear and tension within the populace, apart from its more obvious goal of killing or maiming individuals. According to various sources, 37 people were killed, including a number of children. More than 3000 others were injured, many severely.   

It is important to emphasise that those killed or injured were not from Northern Lebanon where a military clash is raging between the Israeli army and Hizbollah, the movement that is resisting Israeli hegemony in West Asia including Lebanon. The Israeli terrorist operation appears to have targeted several cities, including Beirut, Lebanon’s capital.  Its larger aim — apart from what has been stated here —- could be to turn a segment of the citizenry against Hizbollah in a volatile situation where different groups are competing for power and control with the active support of foreign actors.

The political dimensions of the conflict in Lebanon notwithstanding, the Israeli terror attack of 16th September should be condemned by all those who reject terrorism as ideology and political practice. It is significant in this regard that while some Western governments have condemned Israel’s action, the United States Administration has been reticent about Israel’s role. This is one of the main reasons why the far right government of Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv has become bolder and bolder in its bellicose behaviour in West Asia. It knows that the majority of American leaders will continue to support the Israeli government blindly, even when it commits terrorism and murder.  

For those of us who have a genuine commitment to human rights and human dignity, we remain consistent in our opposition to terrorism, whoever the perpetrator is.  That is a defining attribute of our credo.     

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Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST), Malaysia. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).

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