The events of the past week alone demonstrate that the past five decades have been absurd. Our region has seen nothing but blatant lies that cost lives, money, and the destruction of states and their social fabric, all in the name of empty slogans.
These are the developments in question: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11, signed a plea deal, which was subsequently revoked by the US Secretary of Defense. This terrorist, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, now wants to escape death.
The terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, with the help and support of other terrorists like Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri, led youths to their peril. He used them as fodder for his terrorist war, which cost the region dearly and heavily tarnished the image of Islam, all under the guise of a so-called jihad.
When death came knocking, the terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed sought to escape by pleading guilty and choosing to serve a life sentence instead of dying a “mujahid,” as he had preached to the youth he deceived and sent to their doom.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed planned 9/11 alongside other terrorists who claimed they were seeking “martyrdom and jihad.” However, when he had the opportunity to die at the hands of the “enemy,” he chose to cooperate with the US judiciary and confess in an attempt to avoid execution.
The question here is: what about all the young people who had been tricked by al-Qaeda and the criminals who pushed their lies and propaganda? If those individuals had been given the same opportunity to live for a few more years, would they have decided to hijack the planes and blow up the World Trade Center? Would they have carried out the suicide attacks?
The lesson we should remember, here, is that the instigators, planners, provocateurs, and advocates are a thousand times more dangerous than those who blow themselves up. Unfortunately, the damage is done. Now, some of those investigators are trying to outbid us in moderation. Here he is, the terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, trying to escape death.
The other side of this absurdity that has defined our region for decades is evident from the recent developments of the regional conflict that has followed the Gaza war. Indeed, it has become clear that Netanyahu's Israel is not a state of peace, Iran is not a state of war, and Hezbollah is not a resistance movement.
The assassination of Haniyeh in Tehran shows that Netanyahu is not a man of peace. Israel is not genuinely capable of peace. To the Israelis, killing is easier than signing a peace agreement, and orchestrating assassinations is easier than engaging in negotiations.
As for Iran, it has been proven that it would not dare to upend the equation and go to war. It has the capacity to sabotage and destabilize regional security, but not to confront Israel. Even if Iran did decide to clash with Israel directly, it would fail to change the balance of power or create deterrence.
The same is true for Hezbollah, which has shown that it can hijack Lebanon and incite the Houthis, but cannot defend Gaza or deter Israel, which has killed nearly 300 members of the party, including several prominent figures. Hassan Nasrallah says that Israel bracing for the party’s awaited retaliation “is part of the retaliation and punishment, as the battle is psychological, moral, and military.” Can these lies be any more blatant?
The same applies to Hamas, which decided to launch its attack on October 7 without considering the consequences. Accordingly, our region has wasted decades to grandiose lies and empty slogans. We must learn from this and strive to build a better future, one that is not built on slogans and lies.
