World heading in a dangerous direction again

We are deeply concerned with the situation in the Middle East as tensions continue to rise between Iran and Israel. Israel, which is on trial at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, launched an airstrike at Iran's consulate in Damascus—in violation of international law—on April 1, killing seven Iranian military officers, including two senior commanders. In response, Iran launched a series of airstrikes against Israel over the weekend, allegedly damaging an Israeli airbase.

Israel, which claimed to have intercepted most of Iran's missiles and drones, has already threatened further retaliation. And while it continues to brutally murder helpless Palestinian men, women and children, there is no telling the lengths to which Israel will go to instigate Iran, one of the active supporters of Palestine, to get involved into a conflict—which it has desperately been trying to do for years—and drag other actors into it.

Under the circumstances, it is incumbent upon all rational world leaders to ensure that the situation does not get out of control and bravado does not lead the world down a path of no return. Any miscalculation during retaliation from either side could lead us into a world war type scenario, particularly given the powerful allies both sides have. The United Nations secretary-general has already said that the Middle East conflict is "on the brink," and it is time for both sides to take a step back. However, we are afraid that given the geopolitical realities and the built-up animosity between the two sides, this will not happen without substantial pressure from the international community.

In that regard, one positive aspect is the US ruling out joining the Israeli counterattack against Iran. Other Western leaders have also called for restraint, which is promising, and Iran has announced that its attack against Israel "can be deemed concluded." Even though it's difficult to predict how Israel will react, it can be assumed that should Western leaders put pressure on it to back down, it will be forced to listen. However, it must be realised that the source of these tensions is Israel's genocidal campaign spanning decades against the Palestinians. Therefore, it is high time the international community put pressure on Israel to recognise the rights of Palestinians and agree to and implement the two-state solution.