50 years of Israelis atrocities and the world's silence
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ISIS is ramping up its campaign of hatred against the K, leaving the big boys at the top table of global capitalism bloodied and wounded but not yet quite on their knees. Iran, also on the receiving end of the terror group’s brutality, doesn’t appear to count. Although we are still waiting for just the perfect hashtag to succinctly explain the western double standard on the hierarchy of lives.
The West is not serious about tackling the Islamist threat. Had it been — it would not have spent the last half a century turning both blind eyes and deaf ears to the Palestinian people. Fifty years, after all, is a long time to be suffering a brutal and bloody occupation. It is far too long for a people to be living without statehood. It far, far too long for a people who have suffered beyond and above all others to be economically strangled lifetime after lifetime.
And yet, this past week saw the Israeli occupation enter into its fifth decade. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, celebrated with declarations of how “everyone has a right to live in his home and no one may uproot him”. All the while promising to strengthen his country’s “settlement enterprise”. Amnesty International (AI) bravely and rightly called the latter out for what it is: a violation of fundamental principles of international law triggering additional responsibilities among all states. The human rights group called on regimes everywhere to essentially adopt the economic dimension of the Palestinian-led BDS (boycott, divest, sanctions) movement, which additionally calls for the academic and cultural boycotting of the Israeli state. This is the first time in AI history it has sought to thus politicise its message. The group also went as far as saying that Israel was committing war crimes by maintaining and expanding the settlements.
This last point should not go unheeded by western states that fear more attacks by groups such as ISIS. For this and others use the military occupation of Palestinian lands as a rallying cry against the West. This was something that Bin Laden knew how to exploit fully. As evidenced in the second edition of the slick English-language edition of Inspire magazine, published towards the end of 2010 and produced by the Yemen-based wing of the group, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The editor’s note, aimed largely at British and American Muslims, reads: “Here we start, and in Jerusalem we meet.”
Sadly, protecting self-interests is the only language that the leaders of this new world disorder understand. Had they discovered their moral compass they would long ago have ensured an end to the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian land and the ruthless subjugation of its people simply because it is the right and just and moral thing to do. They do not. Which is why we have AI finding itself doing the work of government.
To Amnesty International we say, bravo. And bravo, again.
To Radiohead we say, shame on you. *
