Even if the world is lost to chaos, Israel is worth existing above all. This is the stratagem of Israel, endorsed by its close ally the USA. To pursue this stratagem, not only Israel has been committing genocide of Palestinians but also committing domicide, educide, ecocide, and culturcide in Palestine, which is the sheer violation of international law. The Israel-only policy isn’t restricted to Palestine only, but it has been endeavouring to devour the territory of each country it can, such as Lebanon, Jordan, and so on. Besides, Israel can engulf in war with any country that challenges her illegal occupation, war crimes, or genocide. It can even be the antagonist of the United Nations for fortifying its illegal position in the war.
Let’s dive into the current situation and violation of international law by Israel to have better insight. Israel has been committing genocide of Palestinians; more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed; more than 100,000 have been wounded in Gaza, and 6,200 have been wounded in the occupied West Bank. If counted in terms of family, the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in Gaza depicts a terrifying score of 902 families completely wiped out, 1364 families left with only 1 survivor, and 3,472 families left with only 2 survivors. Basically, genocide is defined as the systematic killing of a certain group of people. Articles II and III of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide classify the acts of genocide. The sorry state of Palestinians is a picture of almost all acts of genocide mentioned in the Article II of the said Convention; and apart from killing, they have been victims of psychological damage, prevention of distribution of aid in the war-torn region, and much more.
Apart from domicide, 70 percent of the structure of Gaza has been damaged or destroyed, 87,000 housing units have been ravaged, nine percent of industrial facilities have been trashed, and 32 hospitals have become targets of Israeli soldiers. Besides, educide has been the part of this year-long devastation. The tally of killed students has reached 17,224, and 3,686 educational staff have met the same fate. The score of damaged and destroyed schools of UNRWA is 161.
Apart from this, ecocide is also part of this devastation. Ninety-seven percent of Gaza’s water is unfit for human consumption; sewage treatment facilities are unable to operate; and 75 percent of Gaza’s agricultural land has been bombed to dust. Also, it has committed culturcide; 79 percent of mosques and three churches have been targeted and bombed; the Central Archives, Palestinian Legislative Council, and several memorial monuments have been dusted.
The Hague Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land 1907 criminalize such acts, as Regulations: Article 56 depicts that the property of municipalities, that of institutions dedicated to religion, charity, and education, and the arts and sciences, even when state property, shall be treated as private property. All seizure of, destruction, or willful damage done to institutions of this character, historic monuments, works of art, and science, is forbidden and should be made the subject of legal proceedings. So, in light of the given article, it’s a violation of the said law.
Further, countries that speak against the atrocities of Israeli forces fall victim to conflict with it, be it Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Jordan, or any other country. Israel has been engulfed in airstrikes with Iran that can potentially escalate the standoff across the Middle East, with long-lasting consequences for the entire region.
Israel’s continuous violations of international law supported by the USA have given it a blank cheque and emboldened it to perpetrate such war crimes without any accountability. If such support continues and world powers and concerned authorities do not hold Israel accountable for this, Israel would surely neglect any international responsibility enshrined under international law, and the sorry fate of Palestinians would remain unchanged, along with the looming fear of escalation of a widening war across the Middle East.
After Israel attacked the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, killing 13 people, including top IRGC commander Major General Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy, Iran retaliated with 300 missiles and drones, and that was the first ever direct attack of Iran on Israel. Thereafter, Israel assassinated the top commander of Hamas, Ismael Haniye, the top leader of Hezbollah and the IRGC’s top leader; in retaliation, Iran launched 180 missiles on October 1. Israel is preparing the retaliatory attack on Iran that can possibly damage Iranian nuclear capabilities. If this cycle of retaliations continues, all-out war can escalate in the Middle East, further ravaging the region.
Besides, Israel seems to be at war with the United Nations. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres who commented that Israel should stop escalation in the Middle East as he believes escalation after escalation will be devastating for the entire region. In response, Israel’s foreign minister declared him persona non grata. In international law, the said term is used to prevent any unwanted person from entering or working in the host country; however, a country cannot declare an international organization chief as persona non grata since it is used for diplomatic relations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961).
Additionally, two Israeli tanks destroyed the gates of the UN base in Lebanon and forcibly entered. Soldiers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, which consists of 50 countries, have been deliberately wounded by Israeli forces; they persistently showed their identity. UNIFIL was designed to prevent any other invasion of Lebanon by Israel. But, in recent days, they have also been the victims of Israeli greed. The Article 8(2)(b)(iii) of the Rome Statute provides that the intentionally directing attacks against personnel, installations, material, units, or vehicles involved in a humanitarian assistance or peacekeeping mission are war crimes, and the perpetrators shall be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.
To add to the violation of the same article, out of 378 humanitarian worker deaths since 7 October 2023, more than 294 were killed in Gaza alone. Despite following strict security protocols, Israel has repeatedly targeted aid convoys, shelters, and facilities, indicating a deliberate targeting of the said workers. . However, sanctions and punitive measures can also be taken against Israel. The UN Security Council can impose arms embargoes, travel bans, or economic restrictions. But Israel’s close ally, the USA, will veto any such resolution as it has been exercising its veto for it. In total, the USA vetoed the resolution pertaining to justice for Palestine 37 times, further backing atrocities against beleaguered Palestinians.
Furthermore, the UNRWA was created after the Nakba, when Zionist terrorists expelled about 700,000 Palestinians from their homes and lands. Since then, the UNRWA has been busy providing humanitarian assistance and facilities to Palestinians. But to its bad fortune, the UN reported that 169 of its facilities were struck in 368 separate incidents, with many displaced Palestinians killed while sheltering in these facilities. To add, after Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023, Israel accused 12 of UNRWA’s staff of involvement.
Resultantly, the agency immediately suspended those workers, and many countries pulled their funding, but the UN report later found no supporting evidence to back Israeli allegations. Then, those countries, except the USA, restored their funding. To prevent humanitarian assistance and aid for Palestinians, Israel has targeted UNRWA differently; the Knesset approved the first reading of three bills relating to banning UNRWA operating in so-called Israeli territory, stripping UNRWA personnel of immunities and privileges afforded to UN staff in Israel, and branding UNRWA a terrorist organization.
Israel’s continuous violations of international law supported by the USA have given it a blank cheque and emboldened it to perpetrate such war crimes without any accountability. If such support continues and world powers and concerned authorities do not hold Israel accountable for this, Israel would surely neglect any international responsibility enshrined under international law, and the sorry fate of Palestinians would remain unchanged, along with the looming fear of escalation of a widening war across the Middle East.
