Moscow's UN envoy blasted western states for allowing the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza using the argument that Israel has a right to defend itself
Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, on 1 November confirmed that Israel has “no right to self-defense” in their current war against Gaza and blasted the western world for their “hypocrisy” in endorsing the genocide of Palestinians.
"I also cannot leave unmentioned the hypocrisy of the US and its allies, who in other, completely different situations call for compliance with humanitarian law, establish investigative commissions, impose sanctions against those who use force only as an extreme measure to stop the years-long violence," Nebenzya said during the UN General Assembly's special session on Palestine.
"And today, seeing the horrifying destruction in Gaza, which exceeds everything that they criticize in other regional contexts multifold - strikes at civilian facilities, death of thousands of children and horrifying suffering of civilians amid a total blockage, they play mum. All they can do is to keep talking about Israel’s alleged right for self-defense, which, as an occupying state, it does not have, as was confirmed by the [UN] International Court consultative ruling in 2004," the Russian official stressed.
The 2004 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling decreed that Israel, as “an occupying power,” had no right under international law to build a separation wall in occupied Jerusalem. However, as with their usual approach, Tel Aviv ignored the ruling.
Despite Israel's attempts to ignore international law, many prominent organizations and international bodies — including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU), the International Criminal Court (ICC), Amnesty International (AI), and Human Rights Watch (HRW)— all argue that Israel has occupied Palestinian territories, including Gaza, since 1967.
Elsewhere in his speech, the Russian UN envoy underscored that Moscow recognizes Israel’s “right to ensure its security” but added that this right "could be fully guaranteed only in case of a fair resolution of the Palestinian problem based on recognized UN Security Council resolutions."
Nebenzya also called for an immediate “stop the bloodshed” to “prevent the crisis from engulfing the entire region” and said that negotiators must be allowed to reach a “diplomatic solution.”
"One will have to walk down this path sooner or later; the only question is how many innocent people will die in the meantime," he noted.
Last month, the US vetoed Brazil’s draft UN Security Council resolution, citing its “disappointment” over the absence of mentioning Israel’s "right for self-defense."
Since the start of Israel's ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza on 7 October, about 8,800 Palestinians have been killed, including 3,648 children and 2,290 women.
Although Israel and its western sponsors continue to claim that the army is trying to “limit” civilian casualties, Israeli bombs have regularly been dropped on hospitals, humanitarian shelters, residential buildings, schools, ambulances, and civilian convoys.
On Thursday, the UN human rights office said that this week's attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp “could amount to war crimes.”
“Given the high number of civilian casualties [and] the scale of destruction following Israeli air strikes on Jabalia refugee camp, we have serious concerns that these are disproportionate attacks that could amount to war crimes,” the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights posted on social media.
UNICEF has also deplored the actions of the Israeli army, calling Gaza “a graveyard for children.”
With no end in sight to the crisis, the US government has outright refused to call for a ceasefire and instead maintains that Israel has its “full support.” However, on Wednesday night, US President Joe Biden signaled a subtle departure from this policy, saying during a campaign rally that there should be a humanitarian "pause" in Gaza.
Washington has deployed several warships and dozens of military cargo planes to the Eastern Mediterranean in preparation for a broader conflict in West Asia. US troops have reportedly also been heavily involved in Israel's protracted attempts to take control of northern Gaza.
Scott Ritter: Scott Ritter: Russia, Israel, and the Law of War Regarding Civilians
One hears an awful lot from Israel and it's apologists, which sort of make up the entire leadership of the western world, who clamber over one another to show their admiration, love and loyalty... about not allowing fuel into Gaza which can be used by Hamas's war machine; well, the leat the Arab countries could do was to employ the same logic and tactic and stop supplying oil and gas to the West which is supporting Israel's war machine, sorry, I meant the Israel Defence Force!
And while we'r talking about 'terrorism', who dares to label Israel's bombing of Gaza as 'terrorism'? It seems pefectly obvious that the defenceless people trapped in Gaza, see it that way. They are clearly feeling the brunt of Israeli terrorism.
The Guardian/BBC are truly awful. They, just like in Iraq, draw an 'important', though unproven, distinction between... intentions. Israel doesn't they argue deliberately target civilians, on the contrary, compared to Hamas, that does gleefully kill the innocent. Only this argument is a total lie and misinformation. It's the result that counts, not the intention. Where is BBC Verify when one needs them?
OT: Congrats on the sprog. I too fear for the future of a young relative (nm)
America isn't dependent on Saudi oil and gas any more though, so they don't have that leverage available. The symbolic value would be worthwhile though.
I just finished "Mythologies Without End" which goes into the whole history of Israel/Palestine with detail on the "peace" negoatiations and the various wars and the attendant mythologies. It covers a lot of the reasons why the Arab countries aren't immediately siding with the Palestinians.
I'm still waiting to hear ONE msm hack respond to the repeated Israeli defence that "We do everything we can to avoid civilian casualties." with "Then you're doing it very badly because you've killed so far". Every time they even pretend to push back they just accept the inevitably false justification that comes back from whichever IDF spokeliar is there at the time.
Complete abdication of any journalistic duty....no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
Re: He urges Islamic countries to cut off oil and other supplies to Israel (nm)
For some reason the "(insert massacre toll)" out of my previous post as in "Then you're doing it very badly because you've killed (insert massacre toll) so far"
Doesn't like inequality signs as brackets....no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
Not the fire and fury that Galloway expected, more in line with Ritter's prediction (Haiphong) of