Introduction
The human world is serene, perfect with its natural resources, including the diverse human populations that embodies it. But it is also mired with destruction to human lives, dignity, brazen collapses of public and private properties, including hospitals, schools, cemeteries and play grounds, designated to support children’s wellbeing and development. Sadly, the above-situations reflect typically the inhumane, hapless and savagery to which the people of Gaza have been subjected. With that background, this blog is organised as follows. First, it explores various examples of propaganda engaged by major western governments to support the Israeli carnage; second, Israel’s disregard for international law especially the open contempt shown for the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s ruling against plausible genocide in Gaza; third, the fraying of international relations in respect of the destruction in Gaza is engaged.
The Western Propaganda at its Worst
Over the centuries, propaganda has been used by Christian, Islamic and political institutions to spread and influence their followers and the general public to accept a given message or doctrine. However, in the ensuing carnage being committed by Israel and supported by the US and most western states, propaganda is deployed nauseatingly by key politicians occupying prominent positions in European institutions and US governments to affirm Israel’s destructions. Examples of such worst propaganda are championed by former prime minister, turned foreign secretary, David Cameron, whose pre-occupation has been to lead the Conservative government’s failing communication strategy to shore up its crumbing image in domestic politics as well as foreign reputation in the Gazan crisis. The results of the Mayoral and Council election throughout Britain might confirm this position. Equally, Anthony Blinken, US secretary of state, Ursula von der Leyen, Justin Trudeau coupled with NATO’s puppet general secretary, Jans Stoltenberg, have joined forces with Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), to distort the facts relating to the Palestinian misery, by framing the argument to October 7, 2023 instead of the antecedents in 1967 . Furthermore, ample evidence pervade western media houses across the Atlantic churning falsehood that Israel has the right to defend itself under international law against foreign aggression and enemy.
Conversely, the west’s argument above is not only absurd, but also reflects the hypocritical posture of the US and Europe as the carnage in Gaza unfolds. One reason is that under the UN Charter, international and customary laws, an occupied state has the right to defend its self against an occupier just as transpired in South Africa against the Apartheid regime. Since, it is the Palestinians whose territory, people, socio-economic infrastructures and cultural treasures are being bombed and desecrated repeatedly over the span of fifty years with little condemnation from the allied western powers, the right to take arms belongs to them. Contrary to the principles of free speech and expression undergirding true democracy, today, students and young people demonstrating in public and private universities in the US, UK; and, academic discussions condemning the Israeli carnage in Germany and Belgium are suppressed and banned with brute force by the military and police forces. These actions compromised the cherished tenets and fundamental structure of democracy which the so-called western states claimed to represent and preach. The iron-clad support given by the US, UK, Germany, NATO, coupled with other western institutions, has emboldened the IDF to intensify the killings of Palestinians, majority of whom constitute children and women. By extension, this brazen act of maiming of innocent civilians, destruction of public facilities, especially hospitals, children’s playgrounds including cemeteries, are glaring strategies of breaking the fabric of international law.
Breaking the Fabric of International Law under the Israeli Carnage in Gaza
Undoubtedly, since its inception, international law has played key roles in shaping, guiding and promoting the socio-economic, political and cultural wellbeing of societies of the international community, humanely. However, the gross disdain with which Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, his cabinet ministers and defence officers, have constantly failed to respect the provisional orders/judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICI,) to stop its plausible acts of genocide, including starvation of children and the many atrocities unfolding under the rolling cameras. These acts, which have been condoned by some academics such as former professor Alan Dershowitz of Harvard University, have dire consequences of breaking the fabric of international law. The hollow argument by IDF and Israeli cabinet to continue waging the war in Gaza and extend it into Rafah, on the pretext of wiping out Hamas is hypocritical. Although this blog is not sympathetic to the ideology and doctrines of Hamas, one cannot compare Israel’s occupation of Palestine for nearly 70 years, coupled with the grotesque destructions of hospitals, buildings, human lives and means of subsistence to the Hamas’ atrocities in Israel on October 7, 2023. Savagely, the fact that most western countries, politicians and academics have turned a blind-eye toward the sufferings, deaths, miseries, destructions of universities and hospitals in Gaza, without condemning Israel in clearer terms has the potential of poisoning international relations globally.
Poisoned International Relations
The United Nation (UN), established post second World War (WWII), provides an avenue and a platform for the countries, peoples and institutions committed to promoting humane and peaceful relations among states universally. Among its founding tenets, amicable resolution of inter-state conflicts is one focal function of the organisation. This is manifestly shown through the numerous condemnations member states of the UN have professed against Israel and its complicit-backing states- US, UK and other European states. Besides the international condemnation against Israel for its atrocious actions in Gaza, the unflinching support given to it by western powers, especially Germany, UK, US, and Canada, is poisoning international relations with Israel. For example, Brazil has terminated bilateral relations with Israel and sent its Ambassador back home whilst South Africa is mounting pressure on the Ramaphosa government to remove the Israeli Ambassador in the fashion of Brazil. Added to that, majority of countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America have strained bilateral relations with Israel and its backing western states. In the purview of international relations, this bodes negatively for Israel and western states vehemently backing it. The open hypocrisy by the US, UK and other western states in backing the international criminal court (ICC) to issue arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin on one hand; and, on the other hand, a condemnation of similar proposition by the ICC to issue arrest warrant against Benjmain Netanyahu is not only poisoning international relations with Israel, but also undermining the reputation of western states substantially. Also, the diplomatic embarrassment that ensues from frantic efforts by government officials, politicians and diplomats of the western states to twist facts, arguments and statements to back Israel is preposterous and damaging to the sane international relations among states within and without the UN.
Concluding remarks
With the determination to churn out falsehood, twisted facts, hypocritical statements, intimidation to silence genuine opposing views on the Gazan carnage, backed by powerful state media houses in capital cities of Europe and across the Atlantic, the deaths of innocent children will continuously rise. Meanwhile, the west strengthen the hands of the IDF to commit acts of genocide with the cameras rolling. The carnage unfolding in Gaza with the ‘blessings’ of the western powers is creating a dangerous precedent for which posterity will hold them accountable in the future.
