241. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, keep in mind that wars do not have winners

As the chief executive entrusted with running the country’s affairs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces many limitations. Some may not be to his liking, but he has to do so in the country's best interest. That gives him the benefit of his public opinion on Israel. But as citizens, we are free to express our views and opinions. 

If Israel is considered India’s friend, then it’s the prime minister’s duty to acknowledge that. However, I want Israeli citizens to understand that no rational Indian backs your current government.

I expected the global media to at least condemn the killing of three journalists in Lebanon. However, I heard no response or condemnation for a country responsible for killing over 260 journalists—according to the United Nations, by August 11, 2025, the number of Palestinian journalists killed by Israel since the start of the war reached 242. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists have tried to list the names of all journalists killed by Israel. As of August 11 2025, the number was 274. This has never been a misunderstanding; rather, it was always a violent assault on clearly identified journalists and a direct attack on press freedom.

It is evident that while Iran gets the most media attention, the world has ignored Palestinians and Ukrainians. All is not well in Palestine despite the ceasefire. Israel is making the situation for Palestinians far worse. 

Over the past year, the Israeli government has sped up the growth of illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, forcibly displacing around 36,000 Palestinians. Israel controls more than half the land, while the rest is held by a resurging Hamas fighting against armed gangs supported by Israel. 

Those Israeli settlers have intensified violent attacks against Palestinian civilians, frequently with Israeli forces present nearby. Week after week, settlers and the army steal hundreds of sheep, the livelihood of the poorest Palestinians. They burn homes and vehicles.

Israel’s religious fundamentalists and their ultranationalist political allies in the government, backed by the military, have become increasingly uncontrollable in the West Bank. Since the ceasefire started last October, over 100 children have been killed, yet Israelis believed the war was over.

Just a week ago, the world witnessed a horrific act during Ramadan when Israeli border police killed a family—including parents and two children—in front of the two remaining kids. 

This violence is unacceptable, and the Israeli government needs to ensure accountability for those responsible, in accordance with the rule of law. However, that is not going to be.

Now Israel’s parliament is about to pass legislation initiated by the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, which would impose the death penalty on Palestinians convicted of terrorism.

The sick-minded backers of the bill wore a noose-shaped lapel pin – a symbol of the method by which Palestinians could be executed under the proposed law.

Under the proposals, death row inmates would be kept in a separate facility, with restricted visits, and legal consultations would be limited to video links. Executions are planned to happen within 90 days of sentencing.

The measure allows courts to impose the death penalty even without a prosecutor's request. Military courts in the occupied West Bank would also gain the authority to issue death sentences. For Palestinians under occupation, the bill would eliminate options for appeal or clemency.

The UN has urged Israel to withdraw the bill, stating it would violate the right to life and discriminate against Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territory. Hanging amounts to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading punishment under international law. The European Union has also criticized the bill. The last capital punishment in Israel was in 1962 when they hanged the infamous Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, a key figure in the Holocaust.

Although US-Israeli military cooperation, particularly in the joint efforts against Iran, is at an unprecedented level, public support for Israel in the US has declined significantly. NBC News poll revealed that two-thirds of Democrats feel more sympathetic towards Palestinians than Israelis.

Voters have grown more skeptical of the Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, with several candidates distancing themselves from it and refusing its funding.

No impressive outcome in Iran will bring Israel the peace it claims to seek. It has a bleak future despite all its technological advances, which Iranian ballistic missiles have torn through. The country is only gaining new enemies each day and losing the moral support it once had when Hamas attacked and killed 1200 people.

The war is likely to take an uglier turn in the next few days, as Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said Iranian forces “are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire.” There are concerns about ground operations in Iran, as thousands of US soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East.

Israeli citizens need to realize that this war was not initiated by America but by their own leaders. Now, a young generation of Iranians has become a threat to US and Israeli citizens, limiting their ability to travel outside their country, where no IDF will guard them. 

Antisemitism originates from sources such as the far right, the extreme left, and Islamist-inspired hostility. Like a virus, this hatred has spread through many public institutions.

Jews are frequently held responsible for the actions of an Israeli government that many oppose. The threats faced by Jews in the diaspora, such as synagogue attacks, the burning of four community ambulances, and assaults on Jewish shops across the UK, Europe, and the US, do not directly affect Netanyahu but do harm ordinary Jews. 

The UK Community Security Trust’s most recent Antisemitic Incidents Report recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents across the country in 2025, making it the second-highest annual total, surpassed only by 2023. 

Islam is associated with Jihadis and Fedayeen. Jihadists aim to establish states based on Islamic principles, while Fedayeen refers to self-sacrificers. Therefore, violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank is a national security threat to Israel—a potential threat in the future. 

The small country, both in size and resources, but with a large amount of hatred stored within, must remember that suppression, crackdowns, violence, and hatred will only strengthen the resolve of its adversaries and foster a greater willingness to endure losses until they achieve recognition and self-determination.

But we all know the man leading the country won't listen to it. Still, I would remind the man, Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, that wars do not have winners.

However, I would like to listen to the Prime Minister of India's condemnation of specific actions by Israel that breach international law. 

Killing journalists and innocent children is a serious issue. 

One day, this war will also end, but history will always remember the bombing at Shajareh Tayyebeha Girls' Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan Province, southern Iran, where 175 students lost their lives, and the deafening silence that emanated from the country of Buddha.