In November 2022, the capital of Ireland, Dublin, saw the approval of the "Political Declaration on the Protection of Civilians from the Use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas" by 82 countries. Notably absent among the signatories supporting this declaration were "Western governments," including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and almost all members of the European Union, despite their endorsement of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Gaza is a narrow strip where the population density is highest per kilometer. Since 2005, the Gaza Strip, kept under blockade by Israel, represents much more than the residential areas mentioned in the "Dublin Declaration." Of course, the U.S. also exempts itself from this Declaration. The legal framework of the so-called liberal international order based on rules does not apply to the United States and Israel.
President Joe Biden associates Ukraine and Israel in the same breath. This alone exposes how the Biden Administration perceives international law. While Biden accuses Russia of committing "war crimes" blatantly, he turns a blind eye to Israel's acts of genocide. The fact that 70% of the victims killed in Gaza are children and women does not seem to trouble the conscience of those in the Biden Administration or send shivers down their spines. Terms like "war crimes," "humanitarian law," and "crimes against humanity" are not heard from U.S. and Western governments now. They were singing a different tune when it came to Russia. Humanity will not forget the duplicity of the West.
Last month, Josh Paul, a senior bureaucrat overseeing arms sales at the U.S. State Department, resigned in protest against the Biden Administration's continued shipment of weapons to Israel. Paul stated, "In my view, Israel is currently committing war crimes with its actions in Gaza." Although legal opinions suggesting that Israel is committing war crimes have been expressed within the bureaucracy of some European countries, the supply of components for aircraft and other equipment used by Israel in Gaza remains uninterrupted.
According to a document published in Bloomberg on November 15, the U.S. sent 57,000 units of 155mm shells to Israel. These lethal weapons are transferred almost daily, with the Pentagon providing these shells exceptionally from the "War Reserve Stockpile." The probability of these 155mm artillery shells, falling 25 meters away from their target, significantly deviating from their intended trajectory is very high. Upon impact, the shell releases about 2,000 sharp fragments in all directions, causing death and permanent disabilities for civilians within 300 meters.
Israel is raining bombs on everything in Gaza, from living beings to sacred sites, hospitals, and schools, not wanting even a single Palestinian in the occupied territories. Israel, violating all laws of war, commits its massacres with weapons provided "unconditionally" by the U.S. Even as Israel carries out these actions, the supply of weapons to Israel continues. Israel is not alone against Gaza; there is the "American Military-Industrial Complex," which includes the world's largest arms companies.
In February 2022, the Biden Administration, supposedly emphasizing human rights in its "Conventional Arms Transfer" policy, added assurances allegedly "increasing the importance of protecting civilians." According to this, restrictions on transfers would take into account the 'Geneva Conventions' and 'International humanitarian law.' Nonsense! The U.S. bends and distorts all conditions, laws, and agreements.
Human conscience adjudges that Israel and its supporters openly participate in the genocide being committed. The crux of the matter lies in establishing a fair international legal order that will urgently implement the verdict delivered by humanity in a court. Humanity is yearning for this order.