UNITED NATIONS, Sep 13 (IPS) – Because the devastating 11-month-old battle in Gaza retains escalating, with over 41,000 largely civilian killings, and greater than 92,000 Palestinians injured –in retaliation for the 1,200 killings inside Israel final October– the Israelis proceed to defy the US which maintains its uninterrupted circulation of heavy weapons to Tel Aviv.
There are two hardcore classes on this battle. Maybe Israel ought to understand that you simply can’t proceed biting the hand that feeds you whereas the Biden administration ought to understand that you simply can’t proceed to feed the mouth that bites you.
The world’s weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) are categorized largely as nuclear, chemical, organic and radiological weapons. However the US-supplied missiles and a pair of,000-pound bombs dropped on Gaza are finest described as weapons of civilian destruction (WCDs) which have additionally lowered cities to rubble.
On September 11, the New York Instances ran a narrative on the most recent killings of civilians, titled “Israel Kills Gazans as its Air Energy Hits a Humanitarian Zone”
The Instances quoted Trevor Ball, a former US military explosive ordnance-disposal technician, as figuring out a fraction discovered at the latest bombing in Gaza as “the tail part of a SPICE-2000 equipment, a precision guided equipment used with 2,000-pound bombs.
If Israel is accused of genocide and warfare crimes, the place does the US slot in as the key provider of arms which are killing all these civilians?
And, on August 13, because the civilian killings continued unabated, the Biden Administration formally notified Congress of its plan to authorize the sale of a staggering checklist of arms to Israel together with:
An $18.8 billion sale of 50 F-15 fighter jets and associated gear;
A $774 million sale of as much as 32,739 120mm tank cartridges and associated gear;
A $583 million sale of Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV)s and associated gear;
A $102 million sale of 30 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and associated gear; and, A $61 million sale of fifty,000 M933A1 120mm High Explosive mortar cartridges and associated gear.
In June 2024, Reuters reported that the Administration had transferred at the very least 14,000 MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 air-dropped small-diameter bombs, and different munitions.
Dr Ramzy Baroud, a journalist and Editor of The Palestine Chronicle, instructed IPS “for Israel to commit its genocide in opposition to Palestinians in Gaza, it requires a big and regular provide of weapons. Most of those weapons come from the US.”
“The truth is, over 11 months of Israeli genocide and following quite a few studies by worldwide organizations, we all know exactly how US bunker busters and different weapons and munitions supposed for mass killings have been used,” he identified.
But, regardless of all of this, the US continues to provide Israel all of the bombs and rockets essential to inflict most threatening violence in opposition to Palestinians, together with these sheltered in displacement camps, at UN faculties, at hospitals, and different areas which are supposed to be ‘secure zones’.
However American help for Israel can’t be confined to that of weapon provides, Dr Baroud mentioned, as a result of Washington stays Israel’s strongest backer and defender at worldwide establishments, together with the UN Safety Council. This blind and unconditional help has emboldened Israel to hold on with essentially the most despicable genocide in opposition to an harmless and besieged nation.
Even Biden’s so-called ‘ceasefire proposal’ final Could was supposedly communicated on behalf of Israel, then, oddly rejected additionally on behalf of Israel.
There could be no different interpretation of this: the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza is carried out collectively by Israel and the US, mentioned Dr Baroud, a Non-resident Senior Analysis Fellow on the Middle for Islam and International Affairs (CIGA). www.ramzybaroud.net
Based on a Cable Information Community (CNN) report early this week US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has known as for “elementary modifications” to the best way Israeli forces function within the occupied West Financial institution after the killing of American activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi at a protest final week.
US President Joe Biden condemned Eygi’s killing on Wednesday. “”I’m outraged and deeply saddened by the loss of life of Aysenur Eygi,” Biden mentioned in a press release, including that the taking pictures “is completely unacceptable.”
Biden known as for “full accountability” for her loss of life after Israel “has acknowledged its accountability.” Israel, he added, “should do extra to make sure that incidents like this by no means occur once more.”
As an outdated Center East saying goes: The canine bark however the caravan strikes on.
Is that this a mirrored image of the unrestrained energy of the Israeli foyer within the US Congress, which one-time Republican US presidential candidate Pat Buchanan, known as “Israeli-occupied territory”? Does this now embody the White Home?
Sadly, there might be no accountability for the killing of the American-Turkish activist, Dr Baroud identified. “We all know this for a reality as a result of there has by no means been a precedent in historical past through which the US has held Israel accountable for something”.
The household of American activist Rachel Corrie, who was intentionally run over by an Israeli military bulldozer, is aware of precisely how frivolous the US use of language in this type of scenario could be.
The US speaks of “accountability”, “accountability”, “full investigations”, but in the end accepts the Israeli narrative as the reality. Extra not too long ago, the US has used related language following the homicide of Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, earlier than circling again to accepting the Israeli story that her killing was not deliberate and was not half of a bigger coverage to focus on civilians.
Infuriatingly, however nonetheless unsurprisingly, the US is utilizing the above language at a time when over 41,000 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in Gaza, with 1000’s extra lacking and tens of 1000’s wounded, he mentioned.
Not solely no such accountability has been achieved and even known as for, however the US continues to provide Israel the very homicide weapon in order that it might proceed its genocide in opposition to Palestinian civilians, mentioned Dr Baroud.
In the meantime, UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres condemned the loss of life of at the very least 18 individuals, together with youngsters, ladies, and 6 UNRWA workers, in Israeli airstrikes that hit a faculty serving as a shelter in Nuseirat on 11 September.
This incident raises the variety of UNRWA workers killed on this battle to 220. The IDF acknowledged that they’d focused a command-and-control heart within the compound. This incident should be independently and totally investigated to make sure accountability.
The continued lack of efficient safety for civilians in Gaza is unconscionable. Civilians and the infrastructure they depend on should be protected and the important wants of civilians met. The Secretary-Basic calls upon all events to chorus from utilizing faculties, shelters, or the areas round them for army functions. All events to the battle have the duty to adjust to worldwide humanitarian regulation always.
The Secretary-Basic additionally reiterated his name for a direct ceasefire and the rapid and unconditional launch of all hostages. This horrific violence should cease, he declared.
Based on an October 2023 report from the US State Division’s Bureau of Political-Navy Affairs, steadfast help for Israel’s safety has been a cornerstone of American international coverage for each U.S. Administration because the presidency of Harry S. Truman.
Since its founding in 1948, the US has supplied Israel with over $130 billion in bilateral help centered on addressing new and sophisticated safety threats, bridging Israel’s functionality gaps by way of safety help and cooperation, rising interoperability by way of joint workouts, and serving to Israel preserve its Qualitative Military Edge (QME).
This help has helped rework the Israel Protection Forces into “one of many world’s most succesful, efficient militaries and turned the Israeli army trade and know-how sector into one of many largest exporters of army capabilities worldwide”.
Israel has additionally been designated as a U.S. Major Non-NATO Ally below U.S. regulation. This standing supplies international companions with sure advantages within the areas of protection commerce and safety cooperation and is a strong image of their shut relationship with the US.
Thalif Deen, Senior Editor, UN Bureau, Inter Press Service (IPS) information company, is a former Director, Overseas Navy Markets at Protection Advertising Companies; Senior Protection Analyst at Forecast Worldwide; army editor Center East/Africa at Jane’s Data Group, USA; and one-time UN correspondent for Jane’s Protection Weekly, London.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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