What has been 46 days since the beginning of Israel’s unrestrained and inhumane attacks against the innocent people of the occupied Gaza Strip. Receiving unconditional support from Western powers, Israel has crossed all red lines from the beginning of its attacks. So far, Israel has killed more than 13,000 Palestinians, and wounded more than 30,000 people in Gaza. More than 6,000 Palestinians are still missing, most of which remained under the rubble.
In addition, Israel has killed more than 200 people and wounded about 3,000 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, confirming that its target is not Hamas of Gaza, but the Palestinian people and Palestinian lands. In other words, by targeting defenseless and innocent people, Israel insistently and frantically continues its traditional expansionist policies violating all universal principles.
No conscientious person can defend what Israel has been doing in Palestine. Below, I will summarize what Israel has destroyed by destroying Gaza.
Israel has destroyed humanity in Gaza. So far, Israel has killed more than 5,500 children and more than 3,500 women in Gaza alone. No place was immune from Israeli attack. Places of shelter and medical care have also not been free from Israeli attacks. Israel did not mind bombing the most sacred places such as hospitals, mosques, churches, schools and hospitals. About 90 ambulances were damaged. International aid workers, including U.N. workers, were targeted and some of them were killed.
Over half of Gaza’s homes – 222,000 residential units – were damaged, 54,000 of which were completely destroyed by Israel’s attacks. Some large families with more than 30-40 members have lost all of their family members. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), more than 40 members of the press were killed by Israel. Even U.N. schools and buildings were hit.
Collapse of Western values
Israel has destroyed the United Nations system. As a matter of fact, Israel never respected the U.N. system, since it never implemented any decision made by the U.N. The United States and other Western countries have been protecting Israel against any U.N. decision. It is interesting to see that the U.S. quit UNESCO, which was founded by the U.S. after World War II, for passing several anti-Israel resolutions: granting Palestine full membership, criticizing Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem and naming historical sites in East Jerusalem as Palestinian heritage sites. Recently, Israel has challenged the U.N. system one more time by not allowing the U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to enter Gaza and by not abiding by any U.N. decision.
Israel has destroyed all international norms. Israel has destroyed the main principles of international law and universal human rights by committing all manner of crimes in the field, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Gaza. One of the most distinct features of the modern world was the development of norms that guide nation-states in their dealings with other international actors. In addition, Israel has destroyed all principles of war. Israel acts with complete impunity assuming that no state or international authority can hold Israel responsible for the crimes it has committed in Palestine.
Israel has destroyed global Western hegemony. On the one hand, Israel has destroyed all institutions, including the Westphalian nation-state system, established by the West. Israel has violated all norms introduced by the West. Thus, it has eradicated the moral superiority of the West. For instance, from now on, Western countries cannot claim violations of human rights in Ukraine and cannot call on other countries to take action against Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine. The West’s global hegemony is destined to weaken further due to the atrocities of Israel against the Palestinians.
On the other hand, Israel has taken both the domestic and foreign policies of Western countries hostage. So much so that no Western politician dares to criticize Israeli policies. Western politicians prioritize Israel’s national interests over their own country’s national interests. According to Western politicians, Israel’s interests mean their own interests. Therefore, Western politicians do not mind that the international community turns against them for their unconditional support of Israeli atrocities. All in all, since most Western politicians and governments are heavily dependent on Israel and the global pro-Israeli lobby, they choose to ignore Israel’s wrongdoings.
