HUNDREDS dead, thousands injured and homeless, millions affected — this is the violent legacy Israel wants to leave behind for future generations of Palestinians who dare to speak up against the ugly might of the Israelites. Their brutal assaults on the people of Gaza in the past few weeks have raised more questions on the justification of it all, and answered a very important one as well. Has Israel committed war crimes against the civilians of Gaza? Any Tom, Dick or Harry with a sane mind would agree with that notion. When the 47 members of the UN Human Rights Councils voted in favour of creating a Commission of inquiry to look at possible war crimes committed by Israel, 10 abstained and only the United States voted against the resolution. On top of it, reports state that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked a delegation of US lawmakers who were visiting Tel Aviv to help his regime dodge war crime charges related to Israel’s current aggression on the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu reportedly met with members of US Congress on Wednesday, asking them to ensure that Palestinians’ strategy of going to the International Criminal Court (ICC) does not succeed. Even though the Palestinian Authority (PA) is yet to sign up to the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC), legal experts claim that the complaint is still valid as the PA’s ICC membership has been delayed only because of political quarrels.
Israel’s ground and aerial assaults against the people of Gaza were seen to be ‘premeditated’ with false claims of fair warning. Political analysts have pointed out Israel’s indifference to the recurring human rights violations that are taking place in Gaza and for which Edward Corrigan, a journalist and international lawyer, spoke about how Israel’s actions “very clearly constitute a war crime”. It is very unfortunate how a once inspiring nation, the US, is protecting Israel at the Security Council without any regard for the hundreds of lives lost in the attacks on the unarmed civilians, mostly children and women of Gaza. Even though the United Nations has promised an investigation into the atrocities committed by Israel, will it serve any purpose? Or will the perpetrators (backed by the bigwigs of the world) get away with yet another heinous crime? We must all wait and watch to find out, but never should we give up protesting what is wrong.
