Gaza war so far has marked a clear division between the United Nations (UN) and the United States of America (USA).
UN looks to be on the back end despite expressing serious concerns over the brutalities committed by Israel in Gaza and passing orders and resolutions of which none have been implemented yet. The US still looks to be adherent to its aid for Israel.
Should the massacre of the Gazans be stopped is a question that remains unaddressed since a war between Israel and Gaza erupted nine months ago. In Gaza, about 38, 000 people have been killed of whom nearly 75 percent now are women and children, about 90,000 injured, one million displaced, and another one million facing hunger. When this bloodshed will come to an end is not yet known even to the UN.
According to the reports, two key Democrats have allowed the sale of F-15 jets to Israel in an $18 billion deal. They approved the processing of this deal which is believed to be the biggest weapons package for Israel. It is worth more than $18 billion and includes some 50 F-15 fighter jets for Israel. Top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks and a Democrat who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee – Sen. Ben Cardin gave a nod for this deal. Why is this so on the one hand reveals to what level the Democrats are concerned about the human loss in this war particularly in Gaza and on the other to what extent the US is prepared yet to implement the UN’s peace agenda in the Strip.
Doesn’t it look like a business involving huge money on the cast human lives? What it means to the President Biden-led US administration is best known to them but to the world in general it stands in gross violation of what the UN is voicing for in Gaza. The UN’s International Commission of Inquiry (COI) observed. “The Israeli army is one of the most criminal armies in the world,” Chris Sidoti, a member of the UN’s COI on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said presented the findings of COI’s report.
About Israel’s campaign in Gaza from 7 October, the Commission found Israel responsible for: War crimes, crimes against humanity, violations of international humanitarian and rights laws, including extinction, directing attacks against civilians, willful killing, using starvation as a method of war, forcible transfer, gender persecution, sexual and gender-based violence amounting to torture and cruel treatment.
Israel’s siege of Gaza weaponized the provision of life-sustaining necessities for strategic and political gains including cutting off supplies of water, food, electricity, fuel, and lifesaving supplies and humanitarian assistance, it said. Israel constituted punishment, excessively impacting pregnant women and persons with disabilities, and causing severe harm to children including starvation deaths. The deliberate use of heavy weapons in densely populated areas constituted an intentional attack on the civilian population. It said Israeli forces committed sexual and gender-based violence with the intent to humiliate and subordinate the Palestinian community. It concluded that specific forms of sexual and gender-based violence constituted part of Israeli Security Forces’ operating procedures. The blatant disregard for international law across the entire occupied Palestinian territory had strangely impacted Palestinian children.
In Gaza, Israeli Security Forces killed and maimed tens of thousands of children, and thousands more likely remain under the rubble. Israeli attacks also severely impacted infrastructure essential for children’s well-being, including hospitals, schools, and basic services. Though, the Commission also found some Palestinian fighting groups responsible for some of such acts, they be compared with Israel? Another important fact in this regard remains who is a usurper and who is historically responsible for operation against Gazans? Another question is what these weapons deal really aims for and where this will be utilized?
Since President Biden unfolded a surprising ceasefire plan, the Biden administration is trying its best to pressure Hamas to come to this deal. Nothing there is on record in which this administration might have forced Israel to urgently stop the killing of Gazans and honor what nearly 145 countries of the world have recognized. These states of the world have formally stamped the Palestinian statehood, but America remains outside. Why is this so? It looks like Israel Gaza war is a good pocket for selling weapons. The ceasefire plan was given by Israel and the US President just unfolded. Even if such a plan is executed, it doesn’t give any guarantee that the US too will recognize Palestinian statehood. If it is done and implemented with letter and spirit, then there looks to be no more pace for selling weapons to Israel.
Israel is the aggressor; the UN believes it too. Why the oppressed are not being helped on war foots is a question even on the credibility of the UN. The UN passed a resolution with a majority vote to decide the future of the Palestinians in accordance with the right to plebiscite and the two-nation theory, but why is it not so far decided is a question of the power of the peace-seeking UN and the US interests in the region.
The Security Council passed a resolution last week calling for an immediate, full and complete ceasefire. The Commission reiterated that call and called for a complete cessation of hostilities. The Commission reminded all parties that they must adhere fully to international humanitarian law and international human rights law in protecting civilians and civilian objects. The attacks against United Nations agencies and humanitarian actors must stop. The Commission would continue its investigations into all crimes under international law with the aim of achieving justice and accountability. The Commission requested Israel to ensure the Commission’s immediate access to the Gaza Strip to investigate and preserve evidence.
The International Court of Justice ruled against Israel and directed it to stop its military campaign against Gazans, it directed for to ensure no genocide is committed. All such directions of the top UN Court and the resolution of the top security body are without implementation. Isn’t it really paint the picture of the UN’s inefficacy and helplessness ness or there behind Israel is the Boden administration not willing to end massacre in Gaza? So far, the given situation and circumstances support this notion that until the US will not snub Israel pr the entire world physically sands to save the women and children in Gaza, nothing will happen. Thousands of such UN reports and resolution may not work till the US is not sincere to save Gazans.
The said member of the Commission stated that the number of deaths in Gaza had reached more than 37,400 and there were more than 80,000 wounded, 72 per cent of whom were women and children. In the West Bank, there were 553 dead, including 130 children, and more than 5,200 wounded, and there were more than 9,000 detainees since 7 October, of whom 3,700 were still in Israeli prisons, including 640 children.
The Commission’s report also referred to the forcible displacement of more than 1,700,000 people and considered this act also a war crime. The Commission found that crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide were committed against Palestinian civilians on racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious and gender grounds.
States needed to assume their responsibilities under the Geneva Conventions, namely the need to conduct investigations of such crimes under domestic and universal jurisdiction, as well as to fully support and cooperate with the investigation conducted by the International Criminal Court. States needed to stop the transfer of weapons to Israel was the recommendation of this UN’s commission.
(Senior journalist Rana Kashif wrote this article)
