As the Israeli war on the people of Gaza intensifies, the US-led western front continues to stick to the Israeli narrative about the events, in total disregard for the thousands of victims and massive destruction caused by the Israeli war machine.

Since the start of the events, the US-led western front has united its efforts in support of the Israeli occupation and its alleged right to “self-defence”. Unprecedented support was directed to the Israelis, while Palestinians were left on their own in the face of a real holocaust committed by the Israeli forces.

From the beginning, the ‘fascist’ Benjamin Netanyahu did not pursue diplomatic networking or international tours to gain widespread support. Spreading false information about “beheaded children” and “raped women” was sufficient for him to get the necessary backing from the Western media. Every Israeli war on Gaza has employed the same tactic.

Though regarded as a fundamental justification for committing massacres and waging war, the lie did not hold up. The White House swiftly withdrew it, and it became apparent that all that had been presented in this context was fake propaganda, fuelled by a rumour started by someone and reinforced by an artificially created image of a dog meant to look like a burned child’s body. Despite this, the media outlets did not apologise for publishing unverified material and continued to spread the lie in an effort to justify the Israeli occupation’s “self-defence”.

Over the past seventy-five years, the occupying forces have consistently carried out all these massacres without needing specific excuses. It is founded on atrocities and devastation, as demonstrated by the four preceding wars fought in the Gaza Strip. But, this time, a reason for expediting the extermination of the last few Palestinians must exist.

The Gaza Holocaust is unmistakable, but the Western front and its media outlets deliberately turn a blind eye to the huge destruction and thousands of victims that have resulted from the Israeli bombing. The murder of women, children and the elderly; the burning of bodies; the killing of foetuses in their mothers’ bellies; the bodies piled under the rubble; the children who wrote their names on their bodies so that their names would be known after they died; the destruction of mosques, churches, hospitals and schools; and the lack of food, water and medicine did not break their conscience enough to demand an end to this madness.

Biden wanted, amid this ongoing slaughter, to show us some of his fake humanity before boarding the plane heading to Israel. He voiced his outrage over the 500 lives lost in the Israeli bombing of the Baptist Hospital but remained silent about the over 2,900 lives lost prior to the Baptist massacre. Are they military targets? Anyway, his rage soon wore off and he adopted the Israeli narrative, claiming that the massacre was caused by a Palestinian missile that went off course. The massacres continued, but he did not express any stance.

Along with Britain and Europe, the Biden administration appeared to be completely devoid of morality and values. This is not unusual for these nations, particularly the US, which was founded on the ruins of the indigenous people and has carried out multiple massacres, the most recent of which took place in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After two UN drafts failed, the US presented a draft resolution to the Security Council 16 days after approving the slaughter and eviction of Gaza Strip residents, affirming “the right of the occupying force to self-defence” without mentioning a ceasefire or allowing humanitarian aid into the besieged Strip.

British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, was asked in a Parliament session if he would call for an end to the war, given that hundreds of civilians are being killed in Israeli bombings and that hundreds of children are being killed every day. He responded without holding back, saying, “We stand united in support of Israel’s right to self-defence in compliance with international law!” This implies that Sunak does not give a damn about killing civilians—including kids—and that every target Israel bombs is acceptable, as long as it is defending itself!

What kind of arrogance is this? It seems that they did not get enough of innocent Palestinian blood yet. So far, more than 5,000 people have been killed, and more than 15,000 others have been injured. Due to complete or partial demolition, 50 per cent of the homes are no longer habitable, and 70 per cent of the population has been forced to leave their homes after the spread of infectious diseases.

The humiliation of the Islamic and Arab regimes, coupled with the silence of many nations, is worse than the haughtiness of the West. They held conferences in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, released statements, and we heard vehement declarations, but they did not take any action. While the Gaza Strip bleeds and burns, all we hear is unrelenting fanfare.

Egypt said it could not open the Rafah crossing without Israel’s approval. What shame is this? Is it not possible for Egypt and a few other nations to declare the opening of the Rafah crossing, permit humanitarian aid to enter under military guard, evacuate injured individuals, and bring in medical professionals to save lives before it is too late?

While they have the capability, leaders from 57 Arab and Islamic nations seem to lack the willpower or inclination to act, with some even aligning with Israel’s stance. The leaders of these nations have been domesticated and intimidated by the United States for decades, resulting in a combination of betrayal and self-inability.

People worldwide have voiced their pleas, saying “Stop this war” and “Help Gaza”, but they seemingly lack the influence to effect change. Their voices and appeals have gone unanswered. They hope that action will be taken to put an end to the war. They anticipate that their governments will act to implement the required changes. Will any of them reply?

In order to restore international peace and security, it is necessary to forego the US-vetoed Security Council and instead turn to the United Nations General Assembly in accordance with Resolution No. 377/5 of 11/3/1950. This Resolution states that, in case the Security Council is unable to act as required to maintain international peace and security because its five permanent members cannot agree on how to proceed, the General Assembly may expeditiously investigate the matter and may propose recommendations, as needed.

The tenth Emergency Special Session of the General Assembly was convened for the first time in April 1997, following a request from the Permanent Representative of Qatar.

The Session followed a series of Security Council and General Assembly meetings regarding the Israeli decision to build Har Homa, a 6,500 unit housing project, in the Jabal Abu Ghneim area of East Jerusalem.

The tenth Emergency Special Session was last resumed on 13 June 2018 to consider a draft resolution entitled “Protection of the Palestinian civilian population”, at the request of Algeria and Turkiye.

In May 2022, the tenth Emergency Special Session was renewed following a request by Sudan, on behalf of the Arab Group, with the support of South Africa, in its capacity as Chair of the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement on “Illegal Israeli actions in Occupied East Jerusalem and the rest of the Occupied Palestinian Territory”.

Each Resolution made during the meeting ends with a clause stating that any member state may call for the meeting to be called again, at any time, while it is suspended (open). So why has not any nation—not even the State of Palestine—asked for the General Assembly to convene an emergency session up until now, given the incapacity of the Security Council?

We face a formidable challenge in the form of a US-led coalition that supplies Israel with weapons and military equipment. Holding an emergency General Assembly would create a counter front to take the necessary steps to end the conflict in the Gaza Strip and put pressure on Egypt to open the Rafah crossing and allow humanitarian relief convoys to arrive under the auspices of the UN.

As the General Assembly did with its Resolution No. 77/400, which asks the International Court of Justice to issue a fatwa on the nature of the Israeli Occupation of the Palestinian Territories, the Assembly’s emergency agenda must also include a resolution referring the genocide file to the International Court of Justice in accordance with the 1948 Genocide Convention.

It is shameful to stand idly before the Gaza Holocaust. We are in a race against time to save Gaza from the American Israeli war machine. We must all continue the struggle and put pressure on those concerned to take the necessary measures in the face of all those who are waging a religious war in the region that will burn everyone.

Muhammad Jamil is director of the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK.

( Source: Republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License from Middle East Monitor ).