The Middle East, more realistically East Asia, is now practically a tinder box. Over the past decade, Israel has assassinated a number of Iranian scientists. Iran protested the provocations but took no retaliatory action. This may have encouraged Israel to attack the Hamas leader earlier this month while he was a guest of the Iranian government.

At this point, Iran retaliated. Hundreds of rockets rained down on Israeli military targets. Some cities were also hit. Emails and photos from migrant workers in Israel showed the attacks as well as the damage they caused.

Iran warned Israel not to retaliate because the strike was in retaliation for the Israeli assassination of the Hamas leader killed in Iran, Israel’s assassination of Iranian scientists and the mass killing of Palestinians.

The world held its breath, fearing an outbreak of war in the Middle East that would destabilize fuel and oil prices worldwide.

On October 25, Israel launched a missile attack on Iran. Four Iranians are said to have died in the attack. There is now a real danger of the conflict escalating and adversely affecting fuel and oil prices around the world.

The situation in the Middle East has deteriorated since Israel began its attacks on Gaza on October 7. Israel has also launched attacks in the Palestinian West Bank, Iran, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen.

Israeli attacks on Palestine have killed more than 43,000 Palestinians. This number includes more than 16,000 infants and children. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), almost the entire population of Gaza has been displaced. Israel has also cut off all water, food and medicine supplies to the people of Gaza.

All over the world there are massive demonstrations against Israel. Thousands of people are demanding an immediate ceasefire and calling for sanctions against Israel to force it to come to the negotiating table. Israel refuses to stop its attacks on civilians in Palestine and elsewhere and has named the UN Secretary General Persona Non-Grata!

There were protests in their own country. But unfortunately the numbers are few compared to other parts of the world. However, in a strange twist, after our government signed a Chilean document at the UN condemning Israel for declaring the UN Secretary General Persona No Grata, the US issued a travel warning to its citizens regarding a credible terrorist threat to Israeli citizens in the Arugam Bay area.

What is worrying is that this information is available from September or before. The travel warning was issued in October after Lanka changed its position on attaching its signature to the Chilean document.

It also took the Sri Lankans’ minds off the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Today, many organizations supporting Palestine’s cry for justice have moved to the legal status of “Chabads”. Especially the one in Arugam Bay and several other areas. Are we missing the wood for the trees?

Neither the Muslim organizations, nor the Mosque management, nor the residents of the area seem to be disturbed by these places of prayer appearing in the area.

We have to keep our focus. What is happening is that attention is being focused away from the ongoing atrocities committed by Israel in Palestine.

Lanka is a democratic country and various places of worship exist in harmony in different parts of the island. The presence of a Church in the premises of Dalada Maligawa is the best example of religious tolerance in our country.

No attention should be taken from Israel’s genocidal policies in Palestine. We must focus our goal on regaining the rights of the Palestinians. Let’s leave local politics out of the equation.