Israeli writer and historian Yuval Noah Harari has expressed his concerns about a very unstable world
New Delhi:
The war between Israel and Gaza could potentially expand into a broader regional conflict and draw in more countries amid the war in Ukraine and other geopolitical tensions, leading to World War III, Israeli writer and historian Yuval Noah said. Harari today told NDTV in an exclusive interview.
Global instability is high after the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and now the war between Israel and Gaza, which risks involving more countries and could ultimately lead to conditions that could unleash a global war, said Mr Harari.
“Generally, order collapses and is replaced by chaos. This has been happening for the past five to ten years. We now see it in more and more places. The (Covid) pandemic was part of that. Ukraine is also part of it,” said the historian, philosopher and best-selling author of, among others, ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’.
“What is happening now in Israel and Palestine is part of that. If we don’t rebuild order, things will only get worse. It will spread all over the world. It could lead to World War III. And with the kind of weapons and technology now available, this could lead to the destruction of humanity itself,” said Mr. Harari, who is considered one of the most influential public intellectuals in the world today.
Israel said today there will be no temporary ceasefire to allow aid into or foreigners out of the Gaza Strip, as fears grew over the dire humanitarian situation facing millions of Palestinians trapped in the heavily bombed enclave.
Israel declared war on the Hamas group a day after waves of its members breached the heavily fortified border on October 7, shooting, stabbing and burning more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians.
Reeling from the deadliest attack in its history, Israel unleashed a bombing campaign on the Gaza Strip, flattening neighborhoods and killing 2,750 people.
“We must not lose hope. This is a time for responsibility, not a time for despair. Again, for everyone who is able, this is the time to restore order, to try to rebuild hope. The very first step I would take As we seek to refocus, from the very broad perspective of the global order to the immediate crisis in my home country, the first step is to release all hostages immediately and without conditions,” said Mr Harari , referring to people held captive by the Hamas group.
“This is important not only in itself because it frees these people from terrible suffering, but because this will give hope, breathing space and perhaps a first step towards de-escalating the conflict and returning to the path of war.” peace,” Harari said.
