US-drafted UNSC Resolution: Why Clarity on a Two-State or One-State Future Is Now an Imperative

US-drafted UNSC Resolution: Why Clarity on a Two-State or One-State Future Is Now an Imperative

    Monday, November 17, 2025   No comments

Western governments routinely condemn what they view as extreme or destabilizing rhetoric in the Israeli-Palestinian arena—especially language asserting Palestinian liberation. Yet these condemnations stand in stark contrast to the words and actions of Israel’s own leaders, who openly work to foreclose every political pathway that would allow Palestinians to exist as a people with rights, sovereignty, and security.

At a moment when Palestinian political identity is questioned by senior Israeli ministers, when settlements continue to expand, and when proposals to forcibly “resettle” Gaza are voiced from within Israel’s governing coalition, Western democracies face a stark choice: either affirm—clearly and publicly—their support for a viable two-state solution, or acknowledge and adopt the only other rights-preserving path, a single democratic state with equal citizenship for all. There are no other defensible options left.

Israel’s Rejection of Palestinian Statehood Has Become Explicit Policy

The latest diplomatic struggle erupted ahead of a crucial UN Security Council vote on a U.S.-drafted resolution regarding post-war Gaza administration. After quiet revisions by Washington inserted language referring to a “credible pathway” to Palestinian statehood, Israel launched an all-out effort to strip the phrase from the text.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his position unmistakable. Addressing his cabinet, he declared that his opposition to a Palestinian state “has not changed one bit.” Far-right coalition partners went further:

War Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar both vowed that “no Palestinian state will be established.”

 

Itamar Ben-Gvir, a key powerbroker in the coalition, went so far as to dismiss Palestinian identity itself as an “invention.”

 

These statements are not rhetorical flourishes. They align with the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, ongoing displacement of Palestinians, and the continued push from some ministers for the forced removal of Gazans and re-settlement of the Strip by Israelis—policies fundamentally incompatible with any internationally accepted vision for peace.

A UNSC Resolution Exposes the Depth of the Crisis

The U.S. resolution under consideration would authorize:

• a transitional administration in Gaza, and
• a UN-mandated international stabilization force (ISF) supported by eight major regional governments, including Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Türkiye, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

The proposal has satisfied no one. Palestinian factions have urged Algeria to reject it, denouncing the plan as foreign imposition and “another form of occupation.” Meanwhile, Russia submitted a competing resolution that emphasizes stronger guarantees for Palestinian statehood and territorial contiguity.

The internal splits within the Security Council reflect deeper fractures: the international community is attempting to grapple with Israel’s categorical rejection of Palestinian national rights while also navigating Palestinian concerns that external administration may undermine self-determination. 

On the Ground, Violence and Humanitarian Suffering Continue

While high-level diplomacy unfolds, conditions worsen across Palestinian territory.

In the occupied West Bank, Israeli violence and escalating settler attacks have killed seven Palestinians—including six children—within two weeks.

In Gaza, even after a fragile ceasefire, near-daily Israeli strikes since 10 October have killed hundreds. Meanwhile displaced families living in the Mawasi camp struggled through flooded tents after the first winter storm, highlighting the profound humanitarian crisis that persists despite international appeals for protection and aid.

These realities reinforce what Palestinians, human rights organizations, and increasingly international legal experts have long argued: policies that deny meaningful political rights to an entire population inevitably produce cycles of violence, displacement, and humanitarian catastrophe.

The West Cannot Sustain Ambiguity Anymore

For decades, Western governments—particularly the U.S. and EU states—have expressed rhetorical support for a two-state solution even as the material conditions for such a solution were allowed to deteriorate.

Today, Israeli political leaders are not merely undermining the two-state framework; many openly reject it as a matter of principle.

If the two-state solution is impossible, and if permanent occupation or apartheid-like arrangements are morally and legally indefensible, then the only alternative consistent with liberal democratic values is a single democratic state with equal rights for all.

Western governments rarely articulate this basic truth. Instead, they remain caught in a cycle of condemning Palestinian political language while avoiding confrontation with an Israeli leadership dismantling the very foundations of any just peace.

This ambiguity now fuels instability, undermines Western credibility, and leaves Palestinian rights suspended in perpetual limbo.

Two Viable Futures—And Only Two

The world is left with exactly two legitimate pathways that respect Palestinian rights and ensure security for Israelis:

1. A Real, Enforceable Two-State Solution

This would require:

• a sovereign, contiguous Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza;
• an end to settlement expansion and annexation;
• a political horizon backed by international guarantees.

2. A Single Democratic State With Equal Rights

• If Israel continues to rule over the land from the river to the sea, then justice requires equal citizenship, equal legal rights, and equal political representation for all inhabitants—Jewish and Palestinian alike.

Anything else—permanent occupation, fragmented enclaves, demographic engineering, or externally imposed administration—fails every test of legality, morality, and stability.

The Moment of Decision Has Arrived

Israel’s current leadership has made its position clear: no Palestinian state, no political equality, and no credible vision for Palestinian self-determination. Palestinians, meanwhile, continue to endure violence, displacement, and erasure—even as they insist on their right to shape their own political future. The West must now make its own position just as clear. Will it support a two-state solution with real enforcement mechanisms? Or will it support a single democratic state with equal rights?

These are the only two futures that uphold human dignity and comply with international law. Continued ambiguity is not neutrality—it is complicity in a status quo that denies millions of people the right to live freely, securely, and equally in their homeland.

Updated information about the resolution (11/18): UNSCR 2803

Key provisions of resolution 2803:

• Creates a new transitional authority, the so-called “Board of Peace” (BoP).

• A foreign, internationally recognized administrative body with legal international personality, tasked with governing, financing, and restructuring Gaza.

It will be chaired by Donald Trump, with other world leaders joining later.

• Authorizes a Temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF), a multinational force empowered to use “all necessary measures,” UN language for the use of force, to demilitarize Gaza.

The ISF will operate in close coordination with Israel and Egypt.

• Mandates comprehensive disarmament of all Palestinian armed factions: ISF will destroy military infrastructure, prevent reconstruction, permanently remove weapons from service, and enforce demilitarization as a condition for Israeli withdrawal.

• Allows Israel to maintain a surrounding “security perimeter”: Israeli occupation forces remain around Gaza until the ISF certifies that the enclave is free of “renewed terrorist threats.”

• Imposes an internationalized governance structure on Gaza: Daily administration will be run by a non-political, technocratic Palestinian committee, supervised by the US-chaired BoP, not an elected Palestinian authority.

• Gives the BoP control over humanitarian entry and reconstruction: Aid coordination shifts from UN-run mechanisms toward the BoP and its operational bodies.

• Extends the foreign administration until at least 31 December 2027: With the possibility of renewal by the Security Council; regular six-month reports are required.

• Ties Palestinian “statehood” to multiple conditions, including full PA reform, progress on disarmament, implementation of the Trump plan, and BoP-approved reconstruction benchmarks.

• Grants broad privileges and immunities to foreign personnel: Civilian and military actors operating under the BoP/ISF receive legal protections and operational freedom inside Gaza.

Notes:

• Resolution 2803 passed with 13 votes in favor, while Russia and China abstained.

• Algeria, despite public calls by Hamas to reject the resolution, ultimately voted for it and praised US leadership.

• Russia advanced its own counter-draft, then abstained, and afterward stated it “cannot support this decision,” exposing a clear contradiction.

• A broad bloc of Arab and Islamic states (including Qatar, Egypt, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, Turkiye) supported the US draft.

• Palestinian factions and rights groups unanimously condemned the resolution, calling it a scheme for foreign trusteeship, forced disarmament, and external control over the strip.

Hamas' Reaction to UNSC's Approval of the Plan

Statement by Hamas:

"In response to the UN Security Council's adoption of the US draft resolution on Gaza, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) affirms the following:

This resolution does not meet the level of our Palestinian people’s political and humanitarian demands and rights, particularly in the Gaza Strip, which for two years endured a brutal genocidal war and unprecedented crimes committed by the terrorist occupation in front of the entire world—the effects and repercussions of which remain ongoing despite the declaration of the war’s end according to President Trump’s plan.

The resolution imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip, which our people and their factions reject. It also imposes a mechanism to achieve the occupation’s objectives, which it failed to accomplish through its brutal genocide. Furthermore, this resolution detaches the Gaza Strip from the rest of the Palestinian geography and attempts to impose new realities away from our people’s principles and legitimate national rights, thereby depriving our people of their right to self-determination and the establishment of their Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Resisting the occupation by all means is a legitimate right guaranteed by international laws and conventions. The weapons of the resistance are linked to the existence of the occupation, and any discussion of the weapons file must remain an internal national matter connected to a political path that ensures the end of the occupation, the establishment of the state [of Palestine], and self-determination.

Assigning the international force with tasks and roles inside the Gaza Strip, including disarming the resistance, strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favor of the occupation. Any international force, if established, must be deployed only at the borders to separate forces, monitor the ceasefire, and must be fully under UN supervision. It must operate exclusively in coordination with official Palestinian institutions, without the occupation having any role in it, and work to ensure the flow of aid, without being turned into a security authority that pursues our people and their resistance.

Humanitarian aid, relief for the affected, and the opening of crossings are fundamental rights for our people in the Gaza Strip. Aid and relief operations cannot remain subject to politicization, blackmail, and subjugation to complex mechanisms amid the unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe created by the occupation, which requires expediting the opening of crossings and mobilizing all resources to address it through the UN and its agencies, foremost among them UNRWA.

We call on the international community and the Security Council to uphold the international law and humanitarian values, and to adopt resolutions that achieve justice for Gaza and the Palestinian cause, through the actual cessation of the brutal genocidal war on Gaza, reconstruction, ending the occupation, and enabling our people to self-determination and establish their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital."

Change is happening

This development at the UN Security Council—the world’s highest forum for maintaining global peace—comes at a moment when global public sentiment has shifted dramatically in the wake of the Gaza war. Across academia and broader civil society, awareness of the structural dynamics of the conflict has deepened, and calls for an urgent, justice-based resolution—rather than one shaped by political alliances or strategic convenience—are becoming more widespread. Reflecting this shift, the Oxford Union Society voted overwhelmingly, 265–113, to declare that Israel is a “greater threat to regional stability” than Iran, a result emblematic of how public understanding of the conflict has transformed in less than a year.

media review: Hundreds of writers boycott New York Times over Gaza coverage

media review: Hundreds of writers boycott New York Times over Gaza coverage

    Wednesday, October 29, 2025   No comments

As of yesterday Oct. 28, over 150 contributors, and the list is growing, to the New York Times have declared a boycott of its opinion section, accusing the paper of “biased coverage” of Israel’s war on Gaza.

In a joint letter cited by Middle East Eye, the writers said the Times “launders the US and Israel’s lies,” and called for an internal review of anti-Palestinian bias and a US arms embargo on Israel.

“Until the New York Times takes accountability for its biased coverage and commits to truthfully and ethically reporting on the US-Israeli war on Gaza, any putative ‘challenge’… is, in effect, permission to continue this malpractice,” the letter read.

Signatories include Rashida Tlaib, Greta Thunberg, Chelsea Manning, Sally Rooney, Rima Hassan, Elia Suleiman, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Dave Zirin.

Hasty Peace Summit in Egypt

Hasty Peace Summit in Egypt

    Monday, October 13, 2025   No comments

Diplomatic Showmanship, War Crimes, and the Unresolved Reckoning

In a hastily convened summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, world leaders gathered under the banner of peace, hoping to forge a ceasefire agreement that might end the devastating war in Gaza. But beneath the polished veneer of diplomacy, the gathering exposed deep fractures within the international order, and the growing demand for accountability—both legal and political—for the war crimes committed over the past year.

This unexpected summit, held amid growing international outrage over the Gaza conflict, saw major power players—including Turkey, Iraq, Egypt, and the United States—jockey for position, not just to broker a truce, but to shape the post-war reality in the region. Yet, one of the most dramatic developments occurred before the summit even began: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was barred from attending, following coordinated diplomatic pressure from Turkey and Iraq.

Netanyahu Blocked Amid Diplomatic Pushback

According to multiple diplomatic sources cited by Agence France-Presse, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan led efforts to block Netanyahu’s attendance, supported by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani. Erdoğan's plane reportedly circled over the Red Sea awaiting confirmation that Netanyahu would not be present, underscoring the intensity of regional resistance to legitimizing the Israeli leader’s role in any peace process.

The Iraqi delegation went as far as threatening to boycott the summit entirely if Netanyahu were allowed to attend. Cairo, under pressure, ultimately rescinded the invitation. Netanyahu later claimed that his absence was due to Jewish holidays—a statement seen widely as a face-saving maneuver.

This moment marks a significant political humiliation for Netanyahu, who had previously been confirmed by the Egyptian presidency to attend alongside Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. It also signals a shift in the diplomatic atmosphere: leaders once willing to engage Netanyahu now fear the political consequences of being seen as complicit in normalizing his actions during the Gaza campaign.

A Peace Built on Diplomatic Expediency

The Sharm El-Sheikh summit, rushed and reactive, symbolizes a broader crisis in international diplomacy. While it aims to cement a ceasefire, the terms remain vague, the enforcement mechanisms uncertain, and the actors around the table deeply divided on what post-war Gaza should look like.

Earlier this year, reports emerged that the U.S. had floated a controversial plan to install former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as head of an interim administration in Gaza. The plan, which included a multinational force to secure borders and facilitate reconstruction, was met with skepticism. Most recently, President Donald Trump expressed doubts about Blair’s appointment, questioning whether the former prime minister is “acceptable to everyone”—a subtle acknowledgment of Blair's legacy in the region and the broader crisis of legitimacy facing Western interventions.

The Shadow of War Crimes and Political Reckoning

Beneath the surface of diplomatic maneuvering lies the unresolved question of war crimes. The Gaza war, which has resulted in staggering civilian casualties and widespread destruction, has pushed far beyond the bounds of international law. Human rights organizations, UN experts, and even some Western legislators have begun calling for independent investigations into potential war crimes committed by all parties, but particularly by the Israeli military under Netanyahu’s leadership.

While legal accountability through institutions like the International Criminal Court remains politically fraught and unlikely in the short term, political accountability may arrive sooner. Netanyahu’s increasing isolation—evident in his exclusion from this summit—suggests that even long-standing allies are recalibrating their alliances. The symbolism of excluding a wartime leader from a peace summit is powerful: it sends a message that diplomatic immunity is not a given for those accused of gross violations of humanitarian norms.

Looking Ahead: Fragile Peace, Uncertain Justice

The summit in Egypt may temporarily halt the violence, but it does little to address the root causes of the conflict or to lay the groundwork for sustainable peace. With Netanyahu sidelined, the question becomes: who will shape Gaza’s future, and how will justice be served?

If anything, these developments show that multiple centers of power—regional and global—are now moving to reassert control over a crisis that spiraled far beyond its original boundaries. The speed and secrecy with which this summit was arranged are telling: peace is being pursued not through transparent negotiation, but through diplomatic backchannels shaped by geopolitical interests rather than legal principles or the voices of those most affected. 

Still, for those calling for justice and accountability, this moment may be a turning point. Netanyahu’s diplomatic snub could be the beginning of a broader reckoning—not just for him, but for all leaders who believe that military force can be deployed without consequence. The world may be witnessing the birth of a fragile peace—but it is a peace haunted by the specter of unresolved war crimes and the lingering demand for justice.

The Unraveling: How a Scholars' Resolution on Gaza Shatters the West's Most Potent Weapon

The Unraveling: How a Scholars' Resolution on Gaza Shatters the West's Most Potent Weapon

    Monday, September 01, 2025   No comments

For decades, the cornerstone of Western foreign policy influence has not been its fleets or its fighter jets, but its moral authority. The powerful, unspoken currency of human rights has been wielded to sanction adversaries, justify interventions, and command the high ground in the court of global public opinion. This instrument has been more effective than any military division. Now, that very weapon is being turned against its creators, and a recent, seismic declaration by the world’s foremost experts on mass atrocity has just loaded the chamber.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), the preeminent body of academics who dedicate their lives to studying the darkest chapters of human history, has issued a resolution that is not merely a condemnation; it is a historical and legal thunderclap. After extensive investigation, they have declared unequivocally that “Israel’s policies and actions in Gaza meet the legal definition of genocide.”

This is not a partisan statement from a activist group. This is a verdict from the scholars of genocide. They base their conclusion on the same United Nations Convention crafted in the wake of the Holocaust—a convention Western governments claim to uphold as sacrosanct.

The resolution is chilling in its clarity and its sourcing. It acknowledges the exhaustive work of the world’s most respected human rights organizations—Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Forensic Architecture, Physicians for Human Rights—alongside Israeli, Palestinian, and Jewish experts who have all reached the same horrifying conclusion. This collective, evidence-based judgment creates an irrefutable consensus that can no longer be dismissed as rhetoric or bias.

For Western governments in Washington, London, Berlin, and elsewhere, this resolution must sound an ear-splitting alarm. Their strategy has been a three-pronged denial: dismiss the evidence, attack the messengers as antisemitic, and hide behind a fog of procedural delays in international courts. The IAGS resolution eviscerates that strategy.

It represents the crystallization of a factual record before the legal process even concludes. It preemptively validates the anticipated rulings from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC). When these courts eventually rule—likely finding Israel in breach of the Genocide Convention and its leaders culpable for war crimes—it will not be seen as a novel judgment. It will be seen as the inevitable legal confirmation of what the world’s leading experts had already established. And then, the spotlight will swing irrevocably from the perpetrator to the enablers.

This is where the true danger lies for Western capitals—a danger far more profound and lasting than any conventional military threat from Russia or China. Why? Because those are external threats that can be met with traditional power. This is an internal collapse of the very architecture of their global influence.

For years, China and Russia have been accused of horrific human rights abuses. The West’s response has been to weaponize human rights norms to sanction them, isolate them, and paint them as pariahs against a “rules-based international order.” That order, we were told, was upheld by the West.

Now, that weapon is in the hands of the Global South and the West’s geopolitical rivals. The charge will not be mere hypocrisy—a charge that is easy to brush off. The charge will be complicity in genocide.

How does the West sanction China for its treatment of the Uyghurs when it is found to have armed, funded, and diplomatically shielded a nation committing genocide? How does it condemn Russia for its actions in Ukraine while standing accused of enabling a comparable atrocity? The answer is: it cannot. Its moral authority evaporates overnight. The “rules-based order” is exposed not as a principle, but as a selectively applied tool of power.

Human rights norms are universal. The West’s abandonment of them does not make the norms less valid; it makes the West weaker. It relinquishes the moral high ground, the most valuable real estate in international relations. It creates a vacuum that other powers, with vastly different values, will be all too eager to fill.

The IAGS resolution is the tipping point. It is the definitive, expert-led document that will be cited for generations as the moment the evidence became undeniable. Western governments are now on the wrong side of history, not of a conflict, but of a genocide. They have bet that their power could insulate them from the very laws they created. They are about to lose that bet. And in doing so, they will discover that the most powerful army in the world is no match for the weight of a universal truth, finally and irrevocably acknowledged.

Media Review: "As Israel Starves and Kills Thousands in Gaza, It Destroys Itself", Haaretz

Media Review: "As Israel Starves and Kills Thousands in Gaza, It Destroys Itself", Haaretz

    Monday, August 04, 2025   No comments

In a powerful and scathing op-ed published by Haaretz, Israeli writer Iris Leal delivers a searing critique of her country’s actions in the Gaza Strip, warning that the atrocities being committed there are not only devastating to Palestinians but are also dragging Israel into a profound moral, political, and diplomatic abyss. Leal’s article, titled "As Israel Kills and Starves Thousands in Gaza, It Destroys Itself in the Process", lays bare the human cost of the war and the devastating implications for Israel’s future.

A Nation’s Self-Destruction

Leal argues that Israel is systematically isolating itself from the global community. The bridges that once connected it to the democratic world are being “torn down one by one.” She emphasizes that anyone associated with the decision-making apparatus of the war—be it political leaders, military commanders, or intelligence heads—is now becoming increasingly aware that international travel may pose legal and personal risks due to accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

At the center of her warning is the staggering humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza. According to credible international reports cited by Leal, including data from UNICEF and The Washington Post, over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed, among them at least 18,500 children. Many of these children were killed in their sleep, while playing, or even before they learned to walk. The death toll reflects not incidental wartime casualties but a consistent pattern of destruction that Leal unequivocally describes as a "war of extermination."

Starvation as a Weapon

One of the most damning parts of Leal’s argument is Israel’s alleged use of starvation as a weapon of war. She writes that the Netanyahu government knowingly allowed infants to face starvation by failing to ensure the delivery of infant formula and basic humanitarian aid. Hospitals—already bombed or rendered dysfunctional—are unable to operate, and medical personnel themselves are suffering from hunger and exhaustion.

Even worse, Leal suggests that these outcomes were not unintended side effects, but foreseen and tolerated, under the assumption that the international community would remain silent or impotent in the face of such horrors. The Israeli leadership, in her view, has wagered that the deliberate starvation and killing of children would not result in meaningful diplomatic consequences—a gamble that, she implies, is both immoral and catastrophically shortsighted.

A Crisis of Legitimacy

Leal’s article ends by posing a deeply uncomfortable question to the Israeli public and the global community: Are the people leading Israel today—its ministers, generals, intelligence chiefs—morally and legally fit to make decisions on behalf of the nation? Given the scale of the violence and its apparent intentionality, she contends that these individuals are likely complicit in war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and potentially genocide.

The underlying message is clear: Israel is not just committing atrocities—it is losing its moral compass and destroying the very foundations of its legitimacy in the eyes of the world and its own citizens.

A Global Atrocity in Real Time

Leal’s voice is a rare and courageous one within a landscape that often suppresses internal dissent. Her article should serve as a wake-up call, not only to Israelis but to anyone who believes in the principles of human rights and international law. The reality in Gaza today—of mass death, child starvation, and humanitarian collapse—is not abstract. It is a documented and unfolding catastrophe that demands accountability.

What makes this atrocity even more chilling is the premeditation behind it. When a state with one of the most advanced militaries in the world deliberately withholds aid, targets civilian infrastructure, and tolerates the mass death of children, it cannot be brushed off as a tragic byproduct of war. This is systematic, intentional policy—and it represents the moral failure of a nation’s leadership. 

Meanwhile, the international community’s response remains fragmented, weak, and in some cases complicit. Leal rightly questions whether Israel’s leaders will face consequences, but the more urgent question is: Will the world act before even more lives are lost?

Silence, in this context, is not neutrality—it is complicity. As Leal poignantly concludes, Israel may believe it is winning a war, but in reality, it is tearing itself apart, sacrificing not just the lives of its enemies, but its own soul and standing in the world.

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Sources: Haaretz, UNICEF, The Washington Post.
Link to original article: Haaretz Opinion - Aug 4, 2025

Media Review: Human Rights, Selective Outrage, and the Politics of Condemnation

Media Review: Human Rights, Selective Outrage, and the Politics of Condemnation

    Monday, May 26, 2025   No comments

In the realm of global politics, the language of morality is often wielded not as a principle, but as a weapon—selectively applied, conveniently ignored. Nowhere is this hypocrisy more glaring than in the recent reactions of Western leaders to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. When Russia retaliated against a Ukrainian drone assault by launching strikes that killed 12 people, leaders like U.S. President Donald Trump were quick to label Vladimir Putin as “absolutely crazy” and a “killer.” Yet, just days later, Israel launched a brutal airstrike on a school in Gaza sheltering displaced families, killing at least 54 Palestinians—mostly children—and silence or cautious equivocation followed. In fact, these same leaders continue to fund, arm, and diplomatically shield Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a man already indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes. This double standard reveals a painful truth: in the eyes of Western powers, not all human lives are equal, and not all victims are mourned.

The facts are indisputable. According to reports from Al Jazeera, the BBC, and eyewitness accounts, Israeli airstrikes targeted the Fahmi al-Jargawi school in Gaza City, killing dozens, many of whom were burnt beyond recognition. These were not militants or combatants; they were civilians—babies and children asleep in makeshift shelters after fleeing other bombardments. Just days earlier, another Israeli strike obliterated the home of Palestinian doctor Alaa Al-Najjar, killing all nine of her children. She was saving other lives in a hospital while her own were buried in rubble. The loss was not just personal—it was emblematic of a systemic campaign of destruction. As the Arabic-language article poignantly described, “this is not a story of one family, it is the recurring scene of Gaza.”

Meanwhile, when Russia responded to a coordinated assault involving 96 drones launched by Ukraine toward Moscow, killing 12 civilians in a retaliatory strike, the condemnation from Western capitals was swift and categorical. Putin was called irrational, genocidal, and in Trump’s words, “absolutely CRAZY.” While no act of violence against civilians can be morally justified, the disparity in the global reaction is stark. What makes the death of 12 Ukrainians worthy of universal outrage and sanctions, while the burning of 36 Palestinian children in their sleep barely moves the needle of Western conscience?

The answer lies not in law or logic, but in power and politics. Israel is a key ally of the United States and other Western nations. It receives billions in annual military aid, enjoys diplomatic protection at the United Nations, and is portrayed as a bastion of democracy in a volatile region. Russia, by contrast, is a geopolitical rival. Condemning its actions aligns with the strategic and ideological interests of the West. But in elevating political allegiance over human dignity, Western leaders have exposed the hollowness of their professed values.

The roots of this selective empathy is found in supremacism. As Israeli journalist Gideon Levy notes, the Israeli public is conditioned to view Palestinians not as humans, but as threats—mere shadows on a moral map that excludes them. This dehumanization enables the normalization of mass death, the obliteration of entire neighborhoods, and the bombing of hospitals and schools. Western complicity compounds this tragedy by offering political and military support without meaningful accountability. When the victims are viewed as less than human, their deaths demand no justice.

The implications are devastating—not just for Gaza, but for the moral credibility of the West itself. If the universal declaration of human rights only applies to those within a favored political camp, then it is not universal at all. If war crimes are condemned in Moscow but ignored in Tel Aviv, then the West is not defending international law—it is manipulating it. And if leaders like Netanyahu are embraced while others are vilified for similar or lesser acts, then the claim to moral leadership rings hollow.

In Gaza, as one article lamented, people no longer wait for justice from the world. “We write, we witness, we record,” it says, “so that if we die today, history will know who killed us—and why no one trembled.” It is a chilling testament to the abandonment of an entire people, not just by their occupiers, but by the global community that claims to uphold their rights.

Justice cannot be selective. Empathy cannot be conditional. If Western leaders are to retain even a shred of moral authority, they must confront their own hypocrisy. The lives of Palestinian children matter as much as those in Kyiv. War crimes are war crimes, whether committed by an adversary or an ally. And silence, when the bombs fall on schools and hospitals, is not neutrality—it is complicity.

Academic Leaders Unite Against Trump Administration's Threats to Higher Education

Academic Leaders Unite Against Trump Administration's Threats to Higher Education

    Monday, April 28, 2025   No comments

In a significant display of unity, over 500 college and university presidents, along with leaders from scholarly societies, have signed a public letter denouncing the Trump administration's recent actions against academic institutions. The letter, organized by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU), criticizes what signatories describe as "unprecedented government overreach and political interference" threatening the core principles of higher education. ​

The petition emerged in response to a series of federal actions targeting universities, particularly those with perceived liberal leanings. Notably, Harvard University faced a $2.3 billion funding freeze and threats to its tax-exempt status after refusing to comply with demands to audit its academic programs for ideological diversity and expel students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. In retaliation, Harvard filed a lawsuit against the administration, arguing that such measures violate constitutional rights and academic freedom. ​

The petition has garnered support from a diverse array of institutions, including Ivy League schools like Yale and Princeton, as well as public universities such as the University of Hawaii. Signatories emphasize their commitment to academic independence and the free exchange of ideas, asserting that universities should not be coerced into aligning with political agendas. ​

In addition to the petition, several universities have taken legal action against the administration. Harvard's lawsuit challenges the legality of the funding freeze and the broader implications for academic autonomy. Other institutions are exploring similar legal avenues to protect their rights and resist federal overreach. ​

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has also voiced strong opposition, urging universities to uphold free speech protections and resist federal pressure to surveil or punish students and faculty for their political views. The ACLU's letter outlines key principles for institutions to follow, including encouraging robust discussion, protecting student privacy, and abiding by constitutional protections. ​

The petition remains open for additional signatures, reflecting the growing concern among academic leaders nationwide. Supporters argue that defending academic freedom is essential not only for the integrity of educational institutions but also for the preservation of democratic values. As the situation develops, universities continue to navigate the complex balance between federal expectations and their commitment to independent scholarship.

In recent months, universities have increasingly become focal points of governmental efforts to suppress dissent against the ongoing war in Gaza. Institutions of higher education, traditionally seen as bastions of free thought and expression, have been subjected to heightened scrutiny and intervention. Student activists who have organized peaceful protests or voiced criticism of the war have faced severe consequences, including disciplinary actions and surveillance.

Moreover, there has been a disturbing rise in the deportation of international students holding valid student visas, alongside professors and researchers, solely based on their participation in protests or public expressions of opposition to the war. These actions reflect a broader strategy to silence critical voices within academic spaces, undermining fundamental principles of academic freedom, freedom of speech, and the right to peaceful assembly. The targeting of scholars and students in this manner not only threatens individual rights but also weakens the role of universities as centers for critical inquiry and social debate.

The Escalation of Violence in Syria: A Path to Deepen Syria's fragmentation

The Escalation of Violence in Syria: A Path to Deepen Syria's fragmentation

    Monday, March 10, 2025   No comments

Syria has witnessed its most violent outbreak of conflict since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, with over 1,300 deaths reported in just three days. The clashes between forces aligned with Syria’s new government and remnants of Assad’s loyalists have resulted in widespread civilian casualties, particularly affecting the Alawite community, which previously supported the former regime. The intensity of the violence has drawn international concern, as reports of field executions, communal massacres, and forced displacement emerge.

The conflict ignited when HTS-led government forces attempted to arrest what it calls members of the former regime. The attempt was met by armed resistance, which escalated when government brought it more of its armed militias from nearby Idlib, most of whom are not Syrian fighters. While the government aimed to restore order, retaliatory attacks by armed groups have further escalated tensions, leading to mass executions and acts of revenge against Alawite civilians. Human rights organizations, including the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and the Syrian Network for Human Rights, have documented atrocities, including systematic killings and the destruction of homes.

Eyewitnesses and video evidence reveal harrowing acts of violence, with reports of militants conducting executions and vowing to "purify" Syria of perceived enemies. Civilians, including elderly residents and families, have been caught in the crossfire, facing persecution irrespective of their allegiance to Assad’s regime. Many Alawites, who have distanced themselves from the former government, continue to suffer the consequences of sectarian retaliation.

Despite Syria’s Ministry of Defense announcing the end of security operations, reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicate that armed groups continue to commit atrocities against civilians in the coastal regions. Armed factions, some of whom entered towns alongside government forces, have been accused of looting, arson, and indiscriminate violence in areas such as Harisun in Baniyas. Residents from multiple villages in Latakia have pleaded for protection as killings, kidnappings, and destruction persist, highlighting the deteriorating security situation.

Survivors and local witnesses describe an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing, with entire villages being targeted. Calls for international intervention and independent investigations have grown louder as displaced civilians report being too afraid to return home. Some refugees have sought shelter in the Russian-operated Hmeimim Airbase, refusing to leave due to ongoing threats from armed groups. The humanitarian crisis is worsening, with severe shortages of food, electricity, and water reported across affected regions, exacerbating the suffering of civilians trapped in the conflict.

Syria’s interim leadership has vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the civilian massacres and has called for national unity. However, the government faces significant challenges in maintaining security, especially as extremist factions continue to exploit the instability. Al-Sharaa’s administration, which emerged from an Islamist insurgency, faces scrutiny over its ability to protect minorities and establish a functioning security apparatus.

The United States has condemned the extremist violence, particularly the involvement of foreign jihadists, and has expressed solidarity with Syria’s diverse religious and ethnic minorities, including Christians, Druze, Alawites, and Kurds. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged Syria’s interim authorities to ensure accountability for those responsible for the massacres.

The ongoing bloodshed underscores the fragile nature of Syria’s post-Assad transition and highlights the deep-seated sectarian divisions that continue to fuel violence. Without immediate and effective intervention, Syria risks descending further into chaos, jeopardizing any hopes for stability and peace in the war-torn nation.

Daraa the epicenter of 2011 protest movement against Asad government just started an uprising against the HTS-led regime in Syria

Daraa the epicenter of 2011 protest movement against Asad government just started an uprising against the HTS-led regime in Syria

    Friday, March 07, 2025   No comments

 Massacres against civilians in the countryside of Latakia

Meida correspondents in Syria confirmed today, Friday, that a series of massacres took place in areas on the Syrian coast, quoting local sources that "a group wearing military uniforms and public security entered the village of Al-Mukhtariyya and separated the men from the women and children, and killed the males."

The correspondents stressed that the scene of the massacres was repeated in the town of Al-Haffa and in the village of Al-Qabu, describing the day as "bloody" in the countryside of Latakia.

Earlier in the week, in the south of Syria, protesters took to the street in opposition to the new regime in Syria, which is led by the HTS, a former al-Qaeda group.

The killing of civilians was also confirmed by an NGO, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which reported that security forces “executed” 134 civilians from the Alawite sect to which ousted President Bashar al-Assad belongs, during a large-scale sweep in western Syria.

The director of the observatory, Rami Abdel Rahman, told Agence France-Presse that “134 Alawite civilians, including at least 13 women and five children… were executed by security forces in the areas of Baniyas, Latakia and Jableh.” He pointed out that members of the security forces, including foreigners, stormed homes and summarily executed civilians, especially in the city of Baniyas. This raised the death toll to 229 people since the outbreak of bloody clashes on Thursday. The SOHR has been reporting about Syrian since 2011, and it was seen as anti-Asad regime and pro-rebel by some observers.

Reacting to the massacres, the head of an Alawite representative body issued the following statement:

The Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the Diaspora

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

In light of the recent developments, and our follow-up of the ongoing escalations

And the number of convoys entering the Syrian coast under the pretext of the remnants of the regime and with the intent to terrorize and kill the Syrian people in general and the Alawite sect in particular, and with evidence, we demand from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the State of Russia and the international community.

The President and members of the permanent UN Security Council.

Place the Syrian coast and the areas of the Alawite sect under the protection of the United Nations and implement the provisions of Chapter VII of the UN Charter to protect the Alawite sect and the rest of the minorities.

We also address the Sheikh of the Mind of the Druze Monotheists, His Eminence Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri

And we say that with the intensification of the ordeal, we put our hand in your hand, His Eminence Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, and we ask you to support us and lift the injustice from us. We do not support an oppressor, nor do we stand with hands stained with blood. Rather, we stand with truth and justice, and we are ready to hold accountable any criminal who committed a crime against our people, even if he is one of our own.

We appeal to you to stand with us, for you are the people of chivalry and rescue, and the national reference that we trust in this ordeal. Let your position be a support for us, and let your voices be raised with us so that our call reaches every person with a living conscience.

Clashes in Daraa and a sit-in in Sweida

BBC reported that clashes in Daraa ended while the city of Sweida witnessed a massive sit-in against the new administration in Syria, as citizens flocked to the city in response to calls spread on social media.

Protesters in Sweida raised banners of monotheism and banners denouncing the policies of the new government, considering that "the interim government only seeks to cling to positions and does not see it as building a state," according to them.

The protesters gathered in Al-Karama Square to express their rejection of the current situation, demanding a real change in the ruling policies and justice in representing the people, according to calls on social media.

In a parallel development, the "Men of Dignity" movement announced coordination with the Ministry of Interior to activate the role of internal security in the province. The movement explained that special internal security mechanisms have been sent to Sweida, where the province's factions will work with the Interior Ministry to better organize the security situation.

In Daraa, the security operation launched by the Internal Security Forces affiliated with the Military Operations Room against an armed group led by "Mohsen al-Haimed", who was previously supported by the Military Intelligence, ended in the city of al-Sanamayn in the Daraa countryside, after violent clashes that lasted 24 hours.

With the end of the operation, the Internal Security Forces announced control over the city, while the area remains in a state of continuous tension amid tight security measures.

The final death toll from the clashes reached 15 dead, including 8 members of the Internal Security Forces, 6 local gunmen, in addition to the killing of a civilian and the injury of a number of civilians, including women and children.

Forces affiliated with the transitional authority said that they surrounded the house in which al-Haimed was holed up, amid information that he fled to an unknown location with a number of his members.

The clashes erupted after negotiations failed and al-Hamid and his group refused to surrender, leading to fighting that killed eight members of the Internal Security Forces and six local gunmen, in addition to the killing of a civilian and the injury of a number of civilians, including women and children, according to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The clashes began on Wednesday in the city of al-Sanamayn in the northern countryside of the governorate between security forces and an armed group linked to the former Military Security, and continued until Thursday, amid a state of panic among civilians living in the areas of the clashes.

According to estimates, the number of al-Hamid's group is 200 armed men, and it was previously affiliated with the Military Security Service and the security forces of the Bashar al-Assad regime, according to media reports.

The Internal Security Forces are carrying out a large-scale campaign in the city with the aim of "searching for wanted persons and weapons," and the Observatory says that the campaign came the day after clashes between the security forces and the same group, which led to the killing of three gunmen and the injury of three civilians, including a child, according to the Observatory.

The official page of Daraa Governorate on Telegram quoted a source in the Internal Security as saying that the security forces are continuing military operations "to cleanse the area of ​​armed elements."

Military reinforcements arrived in the city in the morning to raid gatherings of armed groups outside the law, according to what the governorate's page quoted from the official in the Internal Security, Abdul Razzaq Al-Khatib.

He added that the clashes are still at their peak in some buildings in the southwestern neighborhood of the city. Daraa Governorate was the cradle of popular protests against the authorities in Damascus in 2011. Regime forces regained control of it in July 2018, but it has witnessed cases of security tension in recent years.

Since the new authorities took control of power in Damascus, clashes and shooting incidents have been recorded in a number of areas, and security officials accuse some militants loyal to the former regime of being behind them.

Imposing and controlling security throughout Syria is one of the most prominent challenges facing the head of the transitional phase, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, after a devastating conflict that began 13 years ago and its parties have branched out.

Assassinations and liquidations on the rise

Assassinations and physical liquidations have continued in Syria since the beginning of 2025, bringing the number of victims in various Syrian governorates to 343, including 334 men, 7 women, and 2 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

On Thursday, a new assassination incident occurred in the city of Aleppo, where three unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle shot a person directly inside his office in the Salah al-Din neighborhood, killing him instantly, before fleeing.

According to information obtained by the Observatory, the victim was accused of dealing with the former regime.

In the Homs countryside, a similar incident occurred in the village of Aqrabiyah, where an armed group stormed a citizen's house, wearing uniforms similar to those of the Internal Security Forces, and took the owner of the house to an unknown destination. His body was found hours later on the Samaqiyat road, with five gunshot wounds.

These operations come amid escalating security tensions in several areas, raising fears among residents of a new wave of assassinations targeting specific figures in mysterious circumstances.

At the same time, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced on Wednesday the killing of at least four civilians during a security campaign launched by security forces in the city of Latakia in western Syria, and the killing of seven others in the south of the country during two days of clashes between gunmen and security forces.

The official media quoted security sources as saying that security forces launched a campaign on Tuesday in the Daatour neighborhood in the city of Latakia, after its members were subjected to an armed ambush "set up by groups of remnants of Assad's militias", which resulted in the death of two of them.

The Observatory counted the killing of at least four civilians in the neighborhood, including two construction workers in a building under construction and two school guards, noting that cautious calm has returned to the area after the arrest of a number of residents and wanted persons.

The General Security announced, for its part, the arrest of a number of people involved in the attack, and the neutralization of others without mentioning their number.

The Ministry of Interior quoted the Director of the General Security Department in Latakia Governorate, Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Knefati, as saying, "After receiving a report about what happened, a special security force was prepared and gathered related information, and reached one of the members of the criminal cell and raided his hideout immediately."

He added that "the criminal cell threw bombs at security patrols, which resulted in the injury of a number of members." He said, "Our forces responded immediately to the sources of fire, and were able to arrest several people involved in these criminal acts, in addition to neutralizing a number of others."

The city of Latakia, which is inhabited by a large percentage of the Alawite sect, witnessed security tensions in the first days after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad's rule, which have recently subsided.

Attacks are still being recorded at security forces' checkpoints from time to time, sometimes carried out by gunmen loyal to Assad, or former members of the Syrian army, according to the observatory.

The New Regime's Narrative

The HTS government in Syria claims that its military operation in in eastern Syria is targeting members of the former regime (fulul al-nizam al-ba'id), as reported by Aljazeera, Qatar's TV network that supported HTS since the start of the violence in 2011.

Is this what self-defense looks like?

Is this what self-defense looks like?

    Wednesday, September 25, 2024   No comments

 France's Macron to Israel: stop killing babies

If these are the images and characterization of what Israeli "self-defense" looks like, then what basis is there to condemn other "self-defenses"?

If Israel can kill babies and women, starve two million people, throw injured persons off rooftops, kills medical doctors and aid workers, sexually abuse Palestinian prisoners, and torture detained Palestinians, then what basis is there to condemn others if they do it?

UN approves proposal for arms embargo on Israel

UN approves proposal for arms embargo on Israel

    Wednesday, September 18, 2024   No comments

Ignoring the US plea for UN to reject the resolution, the UN overwhelmingly adopted resolution to impose sanctions, arms embargo on Israel. The US does not have the veto power it enjoys and always uses to shield Israel from UNSC resolutions.

The U.S. urged the General Assembly to reject the resolution demanding Israel end its 'unlawful presence' in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12 months, arguing it undermines the two-state solution, but lacked veto power. Only a handful of small nation-states joined the US to vote against it. Even other Western nations, including some European US allies voted for the resolution, or abstained. Although UNGA resolution are not binding, they represent a moral and ethical judgement by the world community, exposing US's double standard, and lack of principles in relations to human rights and respect to International Humanitarian Law, which has been violated by Israel many times.

Israeli media took notice of this development.

Media review, CNN: "Israel’s military tells Gaza residents to go home but they find only rubble"

Media review, CNN: "Israel’s military tells Gaza residents to go home but they find only rubble"

    Sunday, September 01, 2024   No comments

For the first time since the Israeli military began ground operations in Gaza in October, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has sent out messages to people’s phones and on social media saying that the residents of some areas can return to their neighborhoods.

The IDF posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Thursday that people who had been ordered to leave three neighborhoods of Deir Al Balah in central Gaza could go home.

CNN interviewed a number of families who had returned to find scenes of destruction.

One man, Abdulfattah Al Bourdaini, said: “We came home and found nothing, no power, no gas, no house, and we cannot change our clothes.”

All he had been able to salvage was a teddy bear for the son he hoped one day to have.

“I am penniless like the day I was born,” Al Bourdaini said. “I have nothing. I came to check on my house, didn’t find a house or anything, nothing is left… There is nothing left to cry about.”

‘Nothing is left’: Israel’s military tells Gaza residents to go home but they find only rubble.

The colonial pillaging and plunder continues

The colonial pillaging and plunder continues

    Friday, August 30, 2024   No comments

In 2022, Josep Borell, the European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, triggered a controversy by saying that Europe was a garden of prosperity and “most of the rest of the world” was a jungle. 

Some accused him of tone-deafness and racism. He defended his statement saying that his "reference to 'jungle' has no racist, cultural or geographical connotation." But he never explained how the "jungle" has become, in his mind, a jungle and how the garden of prosperity has become a garden of prosperity and how has it been kept a garden of prosperity. That task was left to the French president who, in a different context, identified the systems by which the Western world accumulated wealth and siphoned it from the rest of the world causing not only a desert of capital in the Global South, but also created a brain drain that continues to pillage and plunder the human resources of the rest of the world, turning them into the "jungle" they describe. 

The plunder and pillaging continue without direct war, allowing the pillagers to plunder and claim the moral high ground at the same time, which, the moral posturing that is, too, can be used to suppress resisters and attract willing collaborators.

Here is France's president explaining how the Russian citizen, who is now worth $15 billion, became a French citizen, a member of the garden of prosperity:

"It's a decision we made in 2018, which I fully stand by," Macron said Thursday. He added that it was "part of a strategy to allow women and men when they are artists, sportsmen, entrepreneurs, when they make the effort to learn the language, when they create wealth, when they ask for it, to grant them French citizenship. I did it for Mr Durov, who took the trouble to learn French, just as I did it for Spiegel. I think it's good for our country," he declared as reported Politico.

... excerpted from The colonial pillaging and plunder continues.

Dehumanizing Opponents as an Instrument of Supremacism: "human animals"

Dehumanizing Opponents as an Instrument of Supremacism: "human animals"

    Monday, July 15, 2024   No comments

We have not forgotten the descriptions and expressions that Yoav Galant, the occupation's Minister of War, made at the beginning of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, when he said, "Israel is fighting human animals and is acting accordingly," until he returned, after more than nine months of the war of extermination that "Israel" is practicing in the Strip, to repeat the same descriptions about the resistance and its people. Is it a coincidence that Galant, followed by Netanyahu, returned two or three days later to the same speech, or is the matter related to considerations and a general context that governs Israeli colonial behavior. The expressions that Minister Galant used at the time, or those he uses today, were not born of the moment of the shock of the flood or the "outburst of anger" that was generated in Israeli society immediately after October 7, as some like to describe it, and this behavior of "Israel" is not a new policy that it is practicing today, but rather an extension of a colonial policy that it has been practicing for many years, the title of which is death, destruction, pain and terror, and what it produced in this war is nothing but a double mixture of the same horrors.

Looking at "others" with inferiority, from a position of superiority, as something "different", as "goyim", primitives, or "human animals" living in this universe that is harnessed to serve the "chosen Jew" and is fed by a huge store of hatred and arrogance.

This superior, “Western in origin” view of the “backward” world has not disappeared since the time of colonial Europe, just as racism has not disappeared today in the Zionist racial mentality, even after 9 months of massacres, and even after these racist, supremacist descriptions were used against “Israel” and its leaders by the South African representative and by judges in the International Court of Justice.

Although it was met with strong international human rights rejection, as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch considered the statements of the occupation’s minister of war “disgusting and an explicit call to commit war massacres,” Netanyahu and his Zionist minister of war still see Gaza as a “human animal cage,” slaughtering whoever he wants, whenever he wants, and however he wants, then razing it to the ground, and torturing its “primitive” people, who are cut off from electricity, water, and food, just as the Minister’s European ancestors did with the “human animals” they brought from Senegal and the Congo until they died of thirst, cold, and disease outside the walls of the Roman Catholic Church in Brussels, because they are “human animals, nothing more.” This description, which Galant deliberately and provocatively uses, is enough to indicate Israel's intention, coupled with action, to do everything and anything to take revenge on the Palestinians, even if this revenge results in killing children and the elderly and demolishing hospitals, shelters, schools and mosques on the heads of the displaced. As long as these are just "human animals", any harm that Israel inflicts on them, no matter how heinous, is "permissible and legitimate because they deserve it".

More importantly, in addition to what we have indicated about the deep-rootedness of this approach in the Israeli consciousness and behavior since the inception of this usurping entity, understanding the Israeli reaction, which adopts a policy of complete destruction without restrictions and without any regard for the rules of international humanitarian law, requires understanding the backgrounds and motives that specifically drive it today and push its leaders to return and insist on repeating its ABCs, especially describing the Palestinians as "human animals".

The first of these motives is to reproduce the narrative of the war and its spirit within Israeli society as if it were its first day, so that Israeli society remains led by its government and its agenda, thus silencing all voices and protests calling for an end to the war and demanding a negotiating path that leads to political arrangements, allowing Netanyahu and his partners to evade the societal accountability that will end the rule of this extremist right-wing coalition if the war stops, as if the charge of anger that is being fueled by the continued evocation of the narrative of “human animals” will, over time, reduce the extent of what many of them described as the massive military and security failure on October 7 and what followed. Because this narrative needs support to remain present in the consciousness of Israelis and the world, it must continue to be reminded and broadcast through media platforms from time to time. The second is the fierce competition in which the leaders of "Israel" compete to incite against the Palestinians and the people of Gaza in particular, as Israeli politicians, military personnel and religious men excel in inciting against the Palestinians, to the point that repeatedly describing the Palestinians as "animals" has become an essential part of their political discourse.

In this race of incitement, "Israel", its leadership and its army are using everything they have at their disposal without limits, crushing all of Gaza and leveling it to the ground without mercy. For the people of Gaza and Palestine in general, mercy has always been outside the dictionary of Israeli aggression, which means that the repeated mention of "human animals" in Galant and Netanyahu's speech was nothing more than a "natural" description in the context of the spirit of war and fighting that has inhabited Israeli society since its inception.

The third is that "peaceful" and "civilized" "Israel" must weave its vision of the other "barbaric and backward" party, as the Palestinians are not human beings, and it is determined to give the world a new narrative that moves it from the position of self-defense to the position of "exterminating animals", while preserving its "humanity".

In order to ensure that it "whitens its image and behavior", Israel must continue to criminalize and dehumanize the "other", to ensure that the world does not turn against it while it exterminates "these animals", accusing it of confronting what it calls "atrocities" with greater atrocities, and what it calls "terrorism" with more horrific terrorism. This is what was expressed by the position of the Chief of Staff of the occupation army, Herzi Halevi, a few months after the beginning of the war, when he said: "We fight with determination and remain human, unlike the other side that fights like animals."

The fourth motive is the contempt for international law and its institutions, as "Israel" has a superior ability to destroy, and its history is littered with the rubble of cities and villages and human remains, and its record also has a long history of destroying international law, kicking it and turning its back on it, as Netanyahu stood proudly a few days ago, saying: "We have proven that no force in the world can stop us."

Because international law, when it comes to "Israel", is very theoretical, very timid, very weak, and far removed from reality, all its prohibitions are violated and violated to the point of insane chaos as long as the victim is a "Palestinian Arab" and the killer is an "Israeli Jew." Perhaps this is also a message to those who rely on the rules of international law and the Geneva Conventions, and bet on "rationalizing" "Israel's" behavior and preventing it from targeting unarmed civilians, as the Israeli army, according to Galant, does not see itself bound by these agreements, as it kills "human" animals, and these rules and agreements do not include them. It seems that stripping opponents of their humanity has become a basic method in racist wars, and "Israel" is the protégé of the colonial West and its creation and image, imitating today, as it used to do in the past, what its early Western European colonial ancestors did, and it is inhabited by narratives of violence that shape the public conscience in "Israel", and in which religion, culture, and art intertwine by pressing the trigger of the fire that Gaza is burning with Today, the earth is uprooted and its "human animals" are burned alive.

_________

Muhammad Halsa, Writer and researcher; content of byline articles express the opinion of author(s).

Media review: Gaza War, Famine, Israeli troops documenting themselves committing war crimes, and the terrifying war between Hezbollah and Israel

Media review: Gaza War, Famine, Israeli troops documenting themselves committing war crimes, and the terrifying war between Hezbollah and Israel

    Friday, July 05, 2024   No comments

Despite the consequential events happening around the world, Gaza remains the central issue driving the news for the ninth month. Even in national elections in France, UK, and Iran (and the US Nov. elections), candidates were forced to answer questions related to the war in Gaza, and in the UK, many candidates campaigned and won on a platform that put ending the suffering in Gaza on top of the list. Here are some news stories from this week.

Spanish Defense Minister: What is happening in Gaza is a real genocide... something that cannot be ignored

Spanish Defense Minister: What is happening in Gaza is a real genocide... something that cannot be ignored

    Saturday, May 25, 2024   No comments

Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed today, Saturday, that the war on the Gaza Strip is a “true genocide,” in light of the deterioration of relations between “Israel” and Spain, after Madrid’s decision to recognize the Palestinian state.

“We cannot ignore what is happening in Gaza, which is a true genocide,” Robles said during an interview with the official TVE television, pointing out that Madrid’s recognition of a Palestinian state aims to help “end the violence in Gaza.”

Robles' statements came after similar statements from Yolanda Diaz, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister yesterday, who also confirmed that the war on Gaza is genocide.

Diaz pledged to continue pressing, from her position in the government, to defend human rights and put an end to the genocide committed against the Palestinian people.

Diaz's pledge came in a video clip circulated by activists on social media, in which she expressed her welcome of Spain's recognition of the State of Palestine, and stressed that her country's move towards recognizing the Palestinian state, on May 28, is "just the beginning, and we cannot stop at this point."

“We are living in a moment where doing the bare minimum is heroic, but it is not enough at the same time,” added Díaz, who also serves as Minister of Labor and Economy.

She said, "Palestine will be liberated from the river to the sea," referring to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, between which Palestine lies.

In a related context, the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albarez, said in a post on the “X” platform that “the precautionary measures taken by the International Court of Justice, which included the decision to stop the Israeli attack in Rafah, are mandatory,” calling for their implementation. The ICC, too, has moved to issue arrest warrants against Israeli leaders accusing them of crimes against humanity and other war crimes.

Yesterday, the International Court of Justice ordered the Israeli occupation to stop the military attack on Rafah, stressing that any additional military action will lead to partial or total destruction in the region, in accordance with the Genocide Convention, without urging a comprehensive ceasefire in the Strip.

It is noteworthy that Spain, Norway, and Ireland announced, two days ago, officially recognizing the State of Palestine as of May 28, amid Arab welcome and Israeli anger.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday, "If more countries recognize the Palestinian state, this will increase international pressure for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip."

Before this development, European Union member countries had previously recognized the State of Palestine, including Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Sweden.