But while that may be, what should worry world citizens is the global recognition for terrorist entities post Israel’s ‘War on Gaza’. Israel is no longer a victim of collective aggression. On the contrary, Israel is aggressor, occupier and deliverer of collective punishment.

And, finally, nobody now flinches at terrorist groups getting global recognition till now reserved only for legit countries. In fact, the retort is, if Taliban can be recognized as derecognized terrorists with the right to rule and go to war, why shouldn’t Hezbollah and Hamas get the same deal, doesn’t Hamas rule Gaza and isn’t Lebanon in Hezbollah’s care?

October 7, 2023 brought about this paradigm shift. Politics and geopolitics have taken on a new edge. A certain hitherto unsavoury practice is now considered kosher. Killing innocents including infants in their cribs is okay and the United Nations will speak of it in a matter of fact manner without breaking sentence-and-voice.

Today, for myriad nations – such as Qatar, Iran, Bolivia, Pakistan, even Jordan and Egypt – the Hamas is not a terrorist body, it is a bunch of resistance fighters killing and getting killed for a homeland for Palestinians. Nobody flinches describing them as such. And if Muslim countries wouldn’t want Hamas supporters to come into their geographies, there are democracies which have accorded Hamas, Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad legitimacy.

It is a 21st Century thing. Finally, the United Nations does not have a reason to look askance at Hezbollah. In fact, any and every terrorist group has been washed clean of its sins by Israel’s carpet-bombing of the Gaza Strip and the thousands left dead and dying from the bombings. And anti-semitic isn’t as grave a crime as Islamophobia, which now has a definite face. The holocaust doesn’t sound convincing coming from Israeli tongues.

For very obvious reasons, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with “rulers” at the top of their administration, don’t want Hezbollah and Hamas to break into their countries. But if Israel says the elimination of Hamas is a must for its survival, then the world needs an explanation. The big point is, from now on countries providing safe-havens to extremists and terrorists do not have to ask for permission or be coy about it.

Taking hostages of children, women and the elderly as bargaining chips to end wars or ceasefire would also become standard practice. Terrorists living in the thick of civilians and using them as human shields will not be frowned upon. The end deserves the means. Similarly, carpet bombing civilian areas, starving hospitals of electricity and depriving children of water and food, will all become standard war practice from now on.

Hassan Nasrallah breaking weeks of silence is being hailed in the Muslim world. Pakistani news media is front-paging the event and justifying the role of the terror organization at the head of it. The terrorists living in Pakistan and targeting India can henceforth hold their heads high. The repercussions will be felt in India, where Hamas is now part of the election jargon with “solidarity rallies” at which Hamas videos are played.

The fact is, today nobody minds standing shoulder to shoulder with terrorists. It is a new world where tectonic shifts are taking place. The media haven’t any grouse with terrorists making headlines. If anything, those who raise objections are named and shamed by talking heads. It is brutal, the trolling that goes on. For the first time in 1400 years, there is hope. Those few who worship death have the upper-hand.

A terror group’s head will decide whether the Israel-Hamas War escalates or not. And none of the world’s powers can do a thing about it. Media have been reporting that Hezbollah has more than 150,000 missiles in silos in Lebanon, more than enough to shake Israel out of its hubris. The question is how many missiles must Israel have in its silos to silence Hezbollah?

Hassan Nasrallah’s speech will impact the entire region. It will add to the shock and awe of the Hamas attacks of October 7. For a very obvious reason, terrorists are the heroes of the Palestinians and the wider Arab world, of Muslims across the globe. This war is bound to go ballistic beyond belief in the days to come and more people will be rooting for the terrorists in the middle of the whole shebang. (IPA Service)