Israel-Palestine conflict: world divided in support

In the wake of the escalating conflict between Israel and Palestine, marked by Hamas forces launching a significant attack on Israel on October 7, global nations have been picking sides.

Hamas has dubbed the operation as "Al-Aqsa Flood", claiming the release of 5,000 rockets targeting Israeli cities and deploying several dozen armed forces into Israeli settlements adjoining the Gaza Strip. In retaliation, Israel initiated airstrikes over the Gaza Strip. The human cost is mounting: Over 400 Palestinians and 800 Israelis have lost their lives, with over 2,200 injured from each side.

Backing Israel:

A considerable number of countries, led by the United States and prominent European nations like France, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany, have expressed support for Israel. These countries have roundly criticized Hamas' aggressive actions.

US President Joe Biden has considered and approved Israel's plea for augmented military in a Whitehouse statement following talks with Netanyahu:

"The President also conveyed that additional assistance for the Israeli Defense Forces is now on its way to Israel with more to follow over the coming days," it said.

Earlier in the day, Biden threw his support behind Tel Aviv, saying: "The US stands with Israel. We will not ever fail to have their back."

Echoing the sentiment, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly  sadi in a post on social media "The UK unequivocally condemns the horrific attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians. The UK will always support Israel's right to defend itself."

French President Emmanuel Macron vocally condemned "the terrorist attacks currently being carried out against Israel".

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock  stated, “These terrorist attacks now pose the incalculable risk of provoking a major regional escalation.” The foreign minister said that she could only “warn in the strongest possible terms against others joining in this terror. The hostage-taking by Hamas was “abhorrent and a violation of international humanitarian law”. And she asserted Israel's sovereign right to defend itself.

The Swiss Foreign Ministry has expressed its condemnation of Hamas' actions, pressing for an "immediate ceasefire and cessation of violence".

Shalva Papuashvili, the Georgian parliament speaker, declared Georgia's support for "brother Israel in the fight against aggression", branding the aggression as "groundless, cruel and inhumane."

Ukraine, too, has voiced support for Israel, denouncing Hamas' rocket attacks on civilian zones, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The UAE, while condemning Hamas' actions, highlighted the importance of protecting civilian lives in line with international humanitarian law.

"The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs is shocked by the news that Israeli civilians have been taken hostage from their homes. Representatives of the civilian population should always have full protection in accordance with international humanitarian laws and should never become objects of conflict," the statement said.

Backing Palestine:

Conversely, Iran has firmly thrown its weight behind Hamas, terming their actions as a legitimate stance against the "occupiers". Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi stated, "The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the legitimate defense of the Palestinian people."

The arab league, consisting of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, and Oman among others  view the Hamas offensive as "a result of the ongoing occupation and the deprivation of the Palestinian people's legal rights."

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said Israel is "solely responsible for the ongoing escalation due to its continuous violations of the rights of the Palestinian people, including the recent repeated incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli police."

The statement also noted;

"the urgent need for the international community to compel Israel to cease its blatant violations of international law, abide by international legitimacy resolutions, and respect the historical rights of the Palestinian people."

Russia

Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov stated that, “We are extremely concerned. We believe that this situation needs to be brought back to a peaceful channel as soon as possible,” Peskov said during a regular conference call with journalists. “The continuation of such a spiral of violence is certainly fraught with further escalation and growth of this conflict. This is a great danger for the region, so we are extremely concerned.”

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova stated, “Russia is gravely concerned over a sharp escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In this regard, we would like to reaffirm our principled and consistent stance that this conflict, which has continued for 75 years, cannot be resolved by force and can be settled exclusively by political and diplomatic means.”

Central Asia and Afghanistan Respond to the Attacks

Uzbekistan:
Uzbekistan's Foreign Ministry has expressed serious concerns about the escalation in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

"We call on the warring parties to take all measures to end the armed conflict as soon as possible and resolve the crisis through political and diplomatic means," the ministry's statement read. Offering condolences, the ministry's report added, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan expresses its deepest condolences to the families of those who died in connection with the recent events and wishes for the speedy recovery of all the injured."

Kyrgyzstan:
Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has emphasized its alarm regarding the severity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

"The Kyrgyz Republic expresses grave concern and alarm at the severity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has resulted in many casualties and destruction.

We call on all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities immediately and begin political and diplomatic dialogue as soon as possible to achieve peace, ensuring the security of the civilian population and stabilizing the Middle East region."

Kazakhstan:
At a briefing, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan noted that there are 112 Kazakhstanis, including students and embassy staff, currently in Israel. They've established a chat for communication and support among these citizens and the diplomats.

The ministry also called on "the parties to search for political instruments to resolve the situation peacefully and not to resort to actions that can lead to further escalation of the situation not only between the two states but also in the Middle East as a whole.'

Afghanistan:
The Taliban has shown support for Palestine and urged the global community 'to prevent Israeli violence and resolve the Palestinian question by giving the Palestinians their legitimate rights.'

The foreign ministry sees the current events as repercussions of Israel's violations of Palestinian rights. They support the idea of an independent Palestinian nation on their historical land.

Tajikistan:
Tajikistan's Foreign Ministry has condemned the acts of violence in the Middle East and expressed concerns over the resulting civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. They've appealed to the conflicting parties to stop the violence and engage in dialogues for normalization.

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