Daily Times

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 United States. To pursue this stratagem, not only Israel has been committing genocide of Palestinians but also committing domicile, suicide, ecocide, and culturcide in Palestine, which is a 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, etc. Besides, Israel can be engulfed in war with any country that challenges its illegal occupation, war crimes, or genocide. Even it can 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 dumped off, 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 one survivor, and 3,472 families left with only 2 survivors. 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 Article II of the said Convention; apart from killing, they have been victims of psychological damage, prevention of aid in the war-torn region, and much more.

Apart, from domicile, 70percent of the structure of Gaza has been damaged or destroyed, 87,000 housing units have been ravaged, 9percent of industrial facilities have been trashed, and 32 hospitals have become targets of Israeli soldiers. Besides, suicide has been a part of this year-long devastation. The tally of killed students has reached 17,224, and 3,686 educational staff have met the same kismet. The score of damaged and destroyed schools of UNRWA is 161.

Apart from this, ecocide is also a segment of this devastation. 97percent of Gaza’s water is unfit for human consumption; sewage treatment facilities are unable to operate; and 75percent of Gaza’s agricultural land has been bombed with dust. Also, it has committed culturcide; 79percent of mosques and 3 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 wilful 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.

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 Haniyeh, the top leader of Hezbollah and the IRGC’s top leader; in retaliation, Iran launched 180 missiles on October 1. Israel is preparing a retaliatory attack on Iran that can 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 of the United Nations Antonio Guterres commented to stop escalation in the Middle East as he believes the 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 to step into or work 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 before dawn that morning. 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. The UNIFIL was designed to ensure no other invasion of Lebanon by Israel. But, in recent days, they have also been the victims of Israeli greed. 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 October 7, 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. UNSC can impose arms embargoes, travel bans, or economic restrictions. But its close ally, the US, will veto any such resolution as it has been exercising its veto for it. In total, the US has vetoed 37 times the resolution pertaining to justice for Palestine, further backing atrocities against beleaguered Palestinians.

Furthermore, the UNRWA was created after the Nakba, when Zionist terrorists expelled about 700,000 Palestinians from their lands. Since then, the UNRWA has been busy providing humanitarian assistance and facilities to Palestinians. But to its bad, the UN reported about 169 of its facilities being struck in 368 separate incidents, with many displaced Palestinians killed while sheltering in these facilities.

To add, after Hamas’s attack on October 7, 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 US, 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 from 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 United States have rendered it a blank cheque and emboldened it to perpetrate such war crimes without any accountability. If such support continued and world powers and concerned authorities did not hold Israel accountable for this, Israel would surely neglect any international responsibility enshrined under international law, and the sorry kismet of Palestinians would be the same, along with the looming fear of escalation of a widening war across the Middle East.

The writer is a columnist and a linguistic activist.