Israel has not stopped its military offensives against the Palestinians, particularly the Hamas in Gaza Strip. In addition, in early April, it bombed the Iranian Consulate in Damascus, killing several senior Iranian military officers.

It came at a time when the parties concerned are negotiating a possible permanent ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, and in which peace-loving people around the world have raised their hopes. A military operation by one side during an on-going negotiation never helps the discussions. Israel’s deadly attacks, even that too on a diplomatic post, further exposed its demonization.

Israel has violated international laws and norms on many counts with this attack. First, it committed the crime of bombing a diplomatic post; second, it killed people there; third, it violated the airspace of a sovereign country Syria; and at the same time, it violated Iranian territory as its target was a diplomatic property of Iran.

Unfortunately, with the exception of Russia and a handful of Muslim countries, neither the United Nations nor any Western country has condemned Israel.

Then we saw Iran’s retaliation. It launched aerial attacks against Israel with around three hundred missiles. With a few exceptions, most of these were intercepted either by U.S. anti-missile system or by British measures. And this time, the West was not silent.

They stood up immediately and were almost unanimous in strongly condemning Iran. Many in the developing world view international politics as nothing more than a circus. Such double standards have divided the East and the West more than ever.

Notably, Bangladesh did not utter a single word about either Israel’s bombing or Iran’s retaliation. Maybe the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was too occupied with Ramadan, Eid and Bangla New Year; or maybe the Ministry felt that these were not matters to be bothered about.

Incidentally, if any regional conflict of greater height occurs in the Middle East, Bangladesh will be among the most-affected countries. On one hand, the fuel prices will be skyrocketed which will hit our economy immediately.

And the second is even more disastrous. Consider the vast number of overseas Bangladeshi workers who work in the region. War or major conflicts will strike them right in their head. Bangladesh should, therefore, raise its voice and call upon all concerned to immediately reduce the possibility of further escalation of conflicts. Bangladesh cannot sit idle in this changing situation; rather, it must engage itself actively, advising its citizens working in the Gulf and preparing them to avoid involvement in any such war or conflict.

Bangladesh should raise its voice demanding a neutral, safe and secure environment free from war, conflicts and attacks for overseas workers working in the region, and demanding safe passage and the right of these overseas workers to return back home if the situation calls for it.

This does not mean that I foresee a possibility of war or armed conflicts in the Gulf region. Rather, now there is a real possibility of peace and stability. I have seen the appreciating position of the G7 leaders where they vowed to “continue to work to stabilise the situation and avoid further escalation”.

Their statement stated they would also “strengthen cooperation to end the crisis in Gaza”, and continue to work for a sustainable ceasefire “and deliver increased humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in need”.

Had the G7 or world leaders been active since October 2023 to restrain both Hamas and Israelis, thousands of deaths and millions of suffering could have been avoided.

Unfortunately, the West has done little to de-escalate the conflicts in the Middle East. Although China has traditionally been an outsider and showed menial interest in Middle East politics, recently it has taken an interest in the affairs of the Middle East and played a mediating role between the two key countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran. On the other hand, the U.S.

is also carefully working to bring Saudi Arabia to a defence sort of pact that would ensure stability between the Arab countries and Israel. As a result, Saudi Arabia now emerges as an apparent balance what we may call as Pivot Middle East. Balancing is not an easy task. Saudi leaders have proven their diplomatic mettle and acumen in the past.

This time, Egypt, Qatar and the UAE are also on the frontline, as well as Iran. I hope that this time, amidst all the conflicts, chaos and destabilising threats, the Arabs will regain their brilliance and prudence, rise to the level of world leaders to address the emerging challenges and work for a sustainable Middle East.
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The writer is a former Ambassador