Biggest Crisis of Modern Era
Life in the modern era today is indeed not spared from the development of the times and the progress of civilization, human needs for science and technology are also met as we have witnessed today, various advanced technologies have emerged that help activities in human life. Modernization today also triggers positive social changes, one of which is a change in people’s attitudes towards human rights and gender equality, but does modernization not have a negative impact? And the answer is definitely ‘yes’, there are so many crises that humans are experiencing today, one of the real evidence that appears today is the threats faced by humans in the modern era caused by climate change and global conflicts.
Climate change has major implications for international peace and stability, climate change can also be the biggest threat to security facing humanity in the modern era. The phenomenon of climate change is very worrying and can trigger a wider impact, this can be seen from various natural events related to climate problems, how not, currently we are feeling changes in hotter air temperatures, disrupted hydrological cycles, and the rampant hydrometeorological disasters in various parts of the world. According to the latest report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in State of the Climate 2022 published in early 2023, 2022 ranked the 6th hottest year in the world, 2015-2022 became the 8th hottest year according to WMO records.
2016 became the hottest year in WMO records, with an anomaly of 1.2°C against the industrial revolution period, triggered by global warming amplified by the El Nino climate anomaly. Indonesia itself has experienced several events dominated by hedrometeorological disasters of 99.1%, of which 92.5% are wet hedrometeorological disasters and 6.6% are dry hedrometeorological disasters, while the rest are geological and volcanic disasters. In the same event, this extreme event resulted in faster melting of perpetual snow in Puncak Jaya, Papua.
Originally the area of perennial snow was about 200 square km, and now only 2 square km remains, the perennial snow in Puncak Jaya is a unique feature of Indonesia, considering that this country has a tropical climate. Of course, there are also various threats of global conflicts that must be watched out for in 2024, this year began with several conflicts in Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine, and the most striking trend in recent months is the terrible war between Israel and Palestine which is now stealing a lot of attention from all countries around the world.
The Israeli-Hamas war is a long and controversial conflict involving Palestinians, Israel, Arab countries, and the international community. Despite going on for more than a century, both sides have continued to launch attacks without any peace plan. This conflict has not only claimed the lives of thousands of people and caused widespread damage, but has also had an impact on the global economy due to the disruption it has caused in the Middle East One of the three types of humanitarian crises is Complex Emergencies, which occurs when a combination of natural and human factors creates serious vulnerabilities in society.
Armed conflicts that result in many casualties and difficulties in accessing basic necessities make the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis included in the category of Complex Emergencies. The conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has been going on for decades and is further expanding the debate on humanitarian issues. On Thursday, May 20, 2021, the death toll in Gaza reached 228 people, while 21 Palestinians in the West Bank died after clashes with Israeli authorities. On the Israeli side, the death toll reached 12 people. Thousands of citizens, especially in Palestine, have been injured by Israeli aggression and many of them have been forced to flee because they have been forcibly evicted by Israeli authorities, leaving them homeless.
This act is considered an act of terrorism and a violation of Human Rights. Starting with the Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, the action was carried out by deploying hundreds of armed forces that infiltrated Israeli civilian neighborhoods near the Gaza Strip, and continued by the destruction launched by Israel on Gaza as a form of retaliation for the attack, bringing the conflict between the countries gradually decades ago into a terrible new chapter. In the end, Israel blockaded and besieged the border between Egypt for weeks by not allowing limited aid to enter.
Although Egypt is determined to protect Palestinians on the Gaza border, it is not an exaggeration to consider the possibility of refugees crossing over, especially if the conflict continues with Israeli attacks extending into Rafah. Palestinians and most Arab countries see this as an event reminiscent of the 1948 Nakba, in which many Palestinians fled or were expelled from their homes to Gaza or neighboring countries The Israeli offensive was devastating, devastating large parts of the territory, resulting in more than 20,000 Palestinians being killed which was a major factor in the annihilation of generations of families as many of the children died, many of whom had fled several times to secure themselves further afield in the camps along the Egyptian border.
Israel secured the western flank in the occupied territories by increasing the speed and aggressiveness of security operations there, as a retaliatory strategy for the October offensive to prevent Palestinian attacks put forward by Israeli officials. The U.S. has openly backed Israel, Israel’s closest ally, and has provided military and economic aid worth more than $260 billion and promised additional equipment, air defense missiles, bombs and ammunition. The U.S. has also deployed two aircraft carriers to Eastern Mediterranean waters to deter Israel’s enemies, particularly the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
Events in Palestine have attracted sympathy from many circles of the global community, especially because the casualties consist not only of armed forces, but also innocent civilians, including children and women who belong to the most vulnerable groups. Support and assistance continue to flow from various countries to Palestine, in the form of food aid, medicines, and donations. This is especially important given the difficulty Palestinians have in accessing their basic rights due to the ongoing conflict.
On the battlefield itself, the opportunity to stop the fighting and break the conflict itself is extremely difficult, we cannot close our eyes and shut our mouths to what has happened, voicing justice is a small effort that can at least help the oppressed, world leaders must also pay attention to the conflict as illustrated by the current Palestine before it is too late. The ongoing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis is caused by various factors involving both sides. Hamas’ attack on Israel was not the beginning of this war, but part of a series of political tensions that have been going on for years. Peace between the two sides can be achieved if the international community pays attention without bringing other interests to the table. With this approach, it is hoped that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict can find a solution and no longer take many lives from civilians.
By: Nasifa Aina Rahma Putri
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