- by William Briggs
- The Guardian
- Issue #2110
Photo: Anna Pha
Israel’s relentless disregard of life, its dismissal of the outrage of the international community, its denial of truth, continues. The myth of Israel, as a refuge against inhumanity, has been destroyed. Only the hardest, the most inhumane, can find words to support Israel and its wanton destruction of a people. The most powerful nation on earth, the United States, continues to give political and military support to the Netanyahu regime. It continues to seek to legitimise that which has no legitimacy. The days turn into weeks.
The most recent images from Gaza reveal the same wasted and dulled faces, as lines of refugees seek shelter. They can no longer be called refugees because there is no refuge. They are given notice to move on and even as they pack up their few meagre possessions, the bombs fall.
Places of alleged shelter are needlessly shelled. UN and other aid vehicles make the necessary bureaucratic arrangements to travel from place to place and are then attacked. The ground invasion continues. An ambulance evacuating wounded comes under fire. Life in Gaza is hellish.
ISRAEL’S WAR
Netanyahu often says that Israel is fighting a war on many fronts. He rattles off lists of “enemies” that are designed to show that Israel is acting in “self-defence,” thereby allowing his regime to commit any crime, any act of aggression. It allows his supporters in the USA, Australia, and the West to continue to support Israel in its genocide.
He has attacked the UN, its agencies and individuals who dare to speak the truth about what is happening. The United Nations Secretary-General has been described as an anti-Semite. Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese has been the subject of outlandish attacks for simply doing her job. She has been accused of anti-Israel bias and of anti-semitism.
Anyone who dares to stand against Zionism is automatically anti-semitic, according to the twisted logic of Netanyahu and his clique. By inference that must also include the tens of thousands of Jews inside and outside Israel who denounce the crimes of Zionism. The Jewish protesters in Washington were dismissed as Iran’s ‘useful idiots.’
NO CHANGE FROM KAMALA HARRIS
The depravity in Gaza continues. The annexation-by-stealth of the occupied West Bank goes on. US support continues despite media coverage of US leaders voicing concern, calling for restraint and an end to the bloodshed. Vice President and would-be President Kamala Harris, is the latest to call for an end to the hostilities. The mainstream media calls this “strong.” Like Biden (and Albanese) Harris says that “Israel has a right to defend itself,” as though mass murder has anything to do with self-defence. Like President Biden in May when he stopped the shipment of just one consignment of bombs to Israel, Harris gets a lot of credit for not much. From May to the beginning of August 4,000 more Palestinians have died. The ‘deal’ has yet to be done!
Israel continues its deadly work because the USA permits it. The allies of the USA offer muted protests but will not defy the United States. The importance of Israel to the global interests and concerns of American imperialism lies at the heart of the conflict. Israel survives because of US military and economic support. The Middle East is a vital strategic area in international relations.
If the USA loses its foothold in the region it loses power. This is the imperial logic that drives Washington and all US leaders, Democratic and Republican alike. The US must remain the dominant power in the Middle East if it is to control the region. This is why it crushed Iraq. This is why it tried to destroy Syria. It remains locked in a Cold War conflict with Russia which maintains close relationships with Syria and Iran. American imperialism is ready to see devastation to maintain this strategic balance.
As Israeli PM Netanyahu prepared to leave for his recent visit to the United States, he called Israel “America’s indispensable ally.” Israel is “indispensable” for the US to have power in the Middle East. That’s more important to Washington than stopping war crimes.
PEACE IN VIEW?
The talk in Washington and from the news services is that some kind of peace settlement is close. While in the USA, Netanyahu said that he will send a delegation to Rome for talks aimed at ending Israel’s war with Hamas. He said that there had been some movement on ceasefire efforts, due to “military pressure.” The Israeli PM was careful to say that there is “no daylight” between Israel and the United States. Peace negotiations for him are based purely and solely on fear, intimidation and the power of armed force.
PALESTINIAN UNITY
At the same time, important negotiations were finishing in Beijing.
Fourteen Palestinian factions had been meeting in Beijing with the aim of achieving unity. China had previously been working to bring the parties together. This followed preliminary talks between Hamas and Fatah earlier this year.
The groups have signed a ‘national unity’ agreement. The ‘Beijing Declaration’ is aimed at maintaining Palestinian control and governance in Gaza. Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi stated that the talks have laid the groundwork for an “interim national reconciliation government” for a post-war Gaza.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, from Hamas, commented that it was “an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity.” Mustafa Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, said that the agreement goes “much further” than any other reached in recent years.
The four main elements of the Declaration are the establishment of an interim national unity government, the formation of unified Palestinian leadership ahead of future elections, the free election of a new Palestinian National Council, and a general declaration of unity in the face of ongoing Israeli attacks.
The agreement has been welcomed by the United Nations and the European Union. A united Palestinian movement is a significant step. The Chinese Foreign Minister, commenting on the humanitarian disaster that the conflict has wrought, stated that “to resolve this historical injustice, the principle of Palestinian-owned, Palestinian-led and Palestinian-ruled” must be upheld.
All Palestinian factions have acknowledged the Palestine Liberation Organization as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
Netanyahu and his Cabinet have rejected the idea that the Palestinian Authority should govern Gaza when the fighting eventually ends.
The Beijing Declaration is a step forward. Israel, “America’s indispensable and strong ally in the Middle East” is a stumbling block.
UK: Arrest for Netanyahu?
Campaigners welcomed the Labour government’s decision to finally drop a legal objection to an arrest warrant for war criminal Benjamin Netanyahu.
Pressure continued to mount for a full arms embargo, as rumours circulate that Labour is considering arms restrictions on Israel.
In May, the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and his Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over war crimes in Gaza.
The Tory government at the time said it intended to challenge whether the ICC had the right to order the arrest of Israeli nationals.
More than 40 MPs backed a motion calling on the government to drop the proposals.
Today, on the deadline set by the court for Britain to submit its objection, the new Labour government confirmed that it would abandon the plans.
A spokeswoman for No 10 said the government will not be pursuing the challenge “in line with our long-standing position that this is a matter for the court to decide on.”
She added that the government feels “very strongly” about the separation of powers and the rule of law domestically and internationally.
Palestine Solidarity Campaign director Ben Jamal welcomed the decision and the government’s statement that it intends to respect the international courts and the rule of law.
He said this “needs to translate into full support for the rulings of the ICC and the International Court of Justice.”
Morning Star (edited for space)
