A simple step for humanity, a giant step for the OIC and the Arab League!

Israel’s genocide against the people of Gaza has passed its 400th day. More than four times the amount of bombs dropped on Hiroshima have rained down on Gaza, and the officially registered number of those slaughtered has surpassed 43,000. Over 70 percent of those killed are women or children. No place to breathe, no environment to shelter in has been left in Gaza. Those who are alive live under torture, suffering from hunger, epidemics, or treatable diseases left untreated, alongside a thousand and one hardships.

Aid convoys are being bombed; hospitals, schools, churches, members of the press, aid volunteers, and refugee camps are being bombed. Emboldened by the "civilized" US and Europe, Israel arrogantly and barbarically continues its attacks without interruption. People of conscience all over the world rose up, held protest demonstrations, and unprecedented uprisings of conscience occurred against both the aggressive Israel and the administrations that remained silent. Many countries changed their stance toward Israel, and there were even European states that recognized the State of Palestine during this process.

In the face of protest demonstrations in Europe and the US not seen since the Vietnam War—even with broader participation than back then—Israel today is viewed not among normal countries, but as the perpetrator of exceptional, inhumane crimes. Beyond being tried at the International Court of Justice, the Holocaust-victimhood narratives that Israel had hitherto recklessly used and cunningly exploited have been inverted. Today, Israel is seen merely as a rogue perpetrator of inhumane crimes.

While the entire world was in turmoil in the face of Israeli oppression and the human tragedy to which the people of Gaza were subjected, the expected reactions were not coming from Islamic countries, and particularly from the Arab world. This inaction rightfully led everyone to constantly ask the question: Is there truly an "Islamic World" or an "Arab World"?

The fact that a Muslim population of 2 billion remained so unresponsive in the face of a rampant Israel of 6 million presented a tragic picture. The truth of the matter is that, of course, without organization, without an embodied political entity that cares for Islam and Muslims, even if their number were 100 billion instead of 2 billion, no effective action would emerge. These are the most natural expected consequences of the abolition of the Caliphate, whose 100th anniversary we are currently marking. Muslims left leaderless have, at the same time, been left defenseless.

There are indeed two institutions called the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League, but until now, these leagues have cared neither about Islam nor Arabness. If they had, long before Israel, they would have cared about the oppressions inflicted upon Muslims by Muslims themselves in Syria, Kashmir, Myanmar, and Yemen, and would have found a way to prevent them. Yet, despite everything, we say there is still hope. We kept waiting, thinking that perhaps the name it bears would bestow a mission upon it, that it would live up to its name, and truly embody Islamic cooperation.

Finally, a few days ago, both the OIC and the Arab League convened in a joint summit after 400 days of the Gazans being subjected to genocide, taking what was genuinely a giant step for themselves. Truly giant for themselves, because until recently, most of the countries steering this League were competing with one another regarding "normalization" steps with Zionist Israel. October 7 put a damper on these steps, and they exhibited incredible indifference toward the ongoing genocide. It was even written by Bob Woodward that during the US Secretary of State's visits to the region "as a Jew," they expressed their stance that "they desired Israel to finish off Hamas even more than Israel did." As far as we know, there has not even been a denial of these assertions.

Truth be told, as the entire world has risen up, there was no other explanation for the indifference we have witnessed from Arab-Islamic countries until now. Yet, the pressure to develop a stance against Israel—which has surpassed 400 days and remains far from its goal of eliminating Hamas and rescuing the hostages, getting increasingly bogged down—is making itself felt more and more. It is inevitable that this pressure will, perhaps not overnight but ultimately, turn into a rage that will overthrow regimes.

At the Summit in Riyadh, the speeches made by all the leaders, taking the floor one by one, were beyond perfect. It was an interesting meeting where everyone competed with one another in severity against Israel without any need for caution. It was an interesting environment where all leaders did not hesitate to utter the exact same words—or perhaps even more—that we had hitherto heard only from Erdoğan, and perhaps Anwar Ibrahim, the Emir of Qatar, and a few other leaders. In that beautifully decorated, radiant meeting hall featuring giant, luxurious crystal chandeliers shining like stars with unprecedented grandeur, even Bashar al-Assad, who has slaughtered 1 million of his own people, spoke of Israel’s inhumane massacres, condemned them, and called for humanity. His presence within this magnificent setting thrust the boundaries of what could be expected from the summit right into eyes already dazzled by the glare, like an example of curious dark humor.

The leaders attending the meeting—such as MBZ, Sisi, and the leaders of Iran and Tunisia—along with all the other leaders and the host MBS, conveyed the message: "someone stop Israel."

From their own perspective, it is indeed a massive step. But it is a step that will neither stop Israel's attacks nor be of the slightest benefit to the people of Gaza, who are dying every moment alongside their families while being subjected to the most brutal massacres.

For the OIC and the Arab League to take a step worthy of their names for both humanity and the Islamic world, they need to believe that they possess a far greater and more effective power than they think.

Instead of demanding from others a ban on arms sales to Israel among the resolutions, they need to take a joint stance against countries selling arms to Israel, sever trade, and limit relations—in other words, impose this ban themselves.

Expecting someone else to stop Israel means acquiescing to Israel carrying out its actions to the bitter end. They need to take a stance against the US, which supports Israel with all the power and resources at its disposal, and resort to an ultimatum regarding their relations with it. They can do this—if they wish, of course.

Furthermore, the greatest blow that could be dealt to Israel at this stage would be for leading countries to release the scholars and intellectuals currently held in their own prisons who are potential enemies of Israel, and to be somewhat more respectful of human rights in their own lands. Rest assured that keeping those scholars, intellectuals, and politicians imprisoned is the greatest support given to Israel.