Israel-Hamas War and the Western Hypocrisy

On Oct. 7, 2023, a new and horrifying wave of violence and chaos broke out in the Middle East. Gaza-based Palestinian resistance group Hamas launched a resistance movement against Israel’s decades-long repression and illegal occupation of the Gaza Strip to get freedom. In retaliation, Israeli military forces launched a wide-scale vicious attack on the Gaza Strip that has shaken the region and the world. Israel has dropped 18,000 tons of explosives on Gaza, which is more than the amount used in the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. They have razed schools, hospitals, media centers, and mosques, turning Gaza into a hell on earth.  According to Human Rights Watch, Israel is using deadly white phosphorous bombs, a chemical weapon that is illegal under international law. Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of individuals, as Israel has killed over 10,000 innocent people thus far without impunity, and over 4,000 of them were children. In fact, one study showed that a child is being killed or injured every five minutes. 

The barbarism and the siege in the Gaza Strip are merely a genocide. The US and its allies are inciting Israel to commit genocide against the Palestinian people. In addition to supporting Israel, the so-called “world leaders” Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron, Ursula von der Leyen, etc. are trying hard to stifle any criticism of Israel. They are doing this by flooding the media and newspapers with lies, distortion, and platitudes so that this criminal act of Israel can be presented to the world as a legitimate action. Regrettably, the hypocritical West is not only ignoring Israel’s war crimes but also openly supporting and encouraging the dehumanization of Palestinians, which is a complete violation of international humanitarian law.

While Western countries quickly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 as a violation of international law and openly provided dangerous weapons to Ukraine, taking the view that the Ukrainian people were fighting for their freedom. In contrast, Israel’s brutal attacks on Palestinians over the past several decades have affected millions of Palestinians. For them, no substantial steps at the international level have been taken and no interest in a permanent solution to the problem has been shown. After the attack by Russia, the Ukrainians retaliated against Russia following the wishes of the United States. Hence, America and pro-American countries celebrated it and labeled Ukrainians as “freedom fighters”. On the other hand, when Palestinians try to raise a voice against Israel for their freedom, the Western countries including the United States not only condemn this act but also declare the protests against Israel as “terrorist acts”. So it can be said that the double standard of Western countries is based on hypocrisy, which now shows a clear picture to the world that it is no longer possible to claim international law is supreme and applies equally to everyone. 

The situation in Gaza is deeply disturbing and the destruction is intense due to continuous Israeli bombardment. There is not a single secure spot in Gaza, not even the ambulances or hospitals. Cries of UN and other Human Rights Organizations are being unheard. Over the last month, about 1 million people have been forcefully evacuated from the north to the south while the south has also been bombarded. Gaza is under siege from Israel, and supplies of food, water, electricity, and medical equipment are all running short. Hell is being unleashed on civilians, who are left to die with nowhere to flee and no access to aid. This is making people lose all hope in humanity. 

The West has always portrayed itself as a champion of freedom of expression and a global pioneer of human rights. However, the disgraceful response to the situation in Palestine paints a different picture. The West is not only complicit in the injustice but also responsible for the agony endured by Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. The majority of the world agrees that Gaza has become an open prison for its more than two million people, where the prison guard is Israel. The so-called claimants of human rights, the United States and European countries have not only turned a blind eye to the massacre of innocent Palestinian citizens who were martyred by Israel but they have also openly backed Israel’s crimes. In this context, the absurd statement of the Israeli Defense Minister, in which the Palestinians were likened to human animals came as a shock to the world’s conscience and that completely sums up the inhumane nature of Israelis towards Palestinians which ought to be condemned by everyone unequivocally.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.