Tackling Crisis in the Middle East

With the world economy struggling to recover from the twin shocks of the pandemic and then the Russia -Ukraine war, the current crisis in the Middle East is certainly in no-one's interest, including the key powers like Israel and Iran which are involved.

While the world waits with a bated breath, as to how this would eventually pan out, and whether it would also drag some other powers in the Middle East into a larger confrontation, it is reasonable to expect that some major hectic "behind-the-scenes" diplomacy is going on, to defuse the highly "inflammable" situation.

While, the genesis of the current crisis lies in the savagely attack on Israel by Hamas a year ago, leading to mindless killing of innocents including innocents and children, and refusal by Hamas to release Israeli hostages held captive for a year now , Iran's declared support to "Axis of Resistance" such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis, has only aggravated the tense situation. Israel's "disproportionate" response on Gaza and "Axis of Resistance" can at best be debated but cannot be condemned.

The UN Security Council should waste no time in passing a resolution, asking Israel to desist from any further military action, and at the same time asking Iran to rein in it's proxies ,by ensuring safe release of Israeli hostages and declaring the Red Sea safe, thereby ensuring no disruptions in the global supply chains. A quid-pro-quo by Israel should also be part of the deal.

Furthermore, the Security Council has to also work out a two-nation solution, by forcing Israel to recognize the "State of Palestine", thereby taking a "giant-step" towards a durable solution to peace and prosperity in the Middle East.

That such steps would be in the economic and overall interest of all the key powers in the Middle East in particular, besides the world in general, is anyone's guess.

Needless to add, the United Nations would also enhance it's credibility and relevance, that it certainly can be counted upon to tackle any crisis, which threatens the peaceful world order.

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