Contributed by Joe Montero

Israel’s attack on the population of Gaza has continued for months and there is no end in sight. Besides an obvious disregard for human life and the intent to get rid of an entire population, the most disturbing part of this is the connivance of many western governments in assisting the murder to tens of thousands of civilians so far. It could be millions by the time this is over.

Photo by Mohammed Dalem/Reuters: Israel’s attacks on Gaza city have been relentless and target civilians

This appeasement of this holocaust will go down in history as a big blot on the twenty first century, just like the similar appeasement of the Germany’s Third Reiche and its own systematic slaughter, including the killing of 6 million Jews in the twentieth century.

The irony is that it is the same nations acted in ways that contributed to the slaughter of the twentieth century. They are repeating this today. Jews who were painted as deserving to be treated as less than human. Today it’s the turn of the Palestinians. Why? Because it conveniently fits into the geopolitical ambitions to carve out spheres of influence and ease the intention of pivoting to the east.

In acknowledging this, we must separate the governments responsible from the peoples of their nations. Giving support to Israel’s mass murder isn’t popular, and the best evidence for this is the millions of people who keep on coming out into the street across the world, calling for a ceasefire now.

The world is watching. There is no way of hiding the extent of the atrocity, despite the best efforts of the guilty to prevent media coverage, and the false accusation branding anyone who speaks out as antisemitic. This is eating away at the credibility of the appeasers and trust in existing political institutions. People everywhere want politics that values humanity and justice for all.

Australia is a good example. Hundreds of thousands have marched on each of the last 15 consecutive weeks, and this is backed by overwhelming public opinion. So much so, that the pro-Israel lobby has found itself overwhelmed.

Photo by Arafat Barbakh/Reuters: Oung Palestinian mother mourning at the grave of her son killed during an Israeli raid

This appeasement of this holocaust will go down in history as a big blot on the twenty first century, just like the similar appeasement of the Germany’s Third Reiche and its own systematic slaughter, including the killing of 6 million Jews in the twentieth century.

The irony is that it is the same nations acted in ways that contributed to the slaughter of the twentieth century. They are repeating this today. Jews who were painted as deserving to be treated as less than human. Today it’s the turn of the Palestinians. Why? Because it conveniently fits into the geopolitical ambitions to carve out spheres of influence and ease the intention of pivoting to the east.

In acknowledging this, we must separate the governments responsible from the peoples of their nations. Giving support to Israel’s mass murder isn’t popular, and the best evidence for this is the millions of people who keep on coming out into the street across the world, calling for a ceasefire now.

The world is watching. There is no way of hiding the extent of the atrocity, despite the best efforts of the guilty to prevent media coverage, and the false accusation branding anyone who speaks out as antisemitic. This is eating away at the credibility of the appeasers and trust in existing political institutions. People everywhere want politics that values humanity and justice for all.

Australia is a good example. Hundreds of thousands have marched on each of the last 15 consecutive weeks, and this is backed by overwhelming public opinion. So much so, that the pro-Israel lobby has found itself overwhelmed.

Photo from The Australian: a small part of the tens of thousands who arched in Melbourne on Sunday 21 January to protest Israel’s ongoing was against the Palestinians people and support South Africa’s case before the ICJ

Governments backing Israel won’t easily recover from the damage they are inflicting on themselves. Israel stands exposed as a state championing its own version of racial superiority and trying to impose its own version of the final solution. Fractures are appearing within its own society and the global Jewish diaspora. Many Jews are turning against Israel. And the Israeli state has become the pariah of the world and lost the battle for public opinion.

Militarily, the Israeli state has put itself in a situation where is must ultimately fail. Palestinian as a people have shown that they won’t be defeated. The attempt to bludgeon them into submission in Gaza has failed. Gazans are fighting back, and the misnamed Israeli Defence Force is suffering significant material losses. 

Unfortunately, it’s the people of Gaza who have been paying and continue to pay the price. The longer the ongoing murder continues, the higher the price will be. An even bigger response is needed to put a stop to the killing and destruction.

Israel’s rulers are trying to extricate themselves from their troubles by broadening the war. They are attacking Palestinian populations in the West Bank, Jerusalem, and neighbouring countries. Israeli prime minister Netanyahu and his gang want a regional conflict that will draw other countries into the fighting. By this means, they seek to draw attention away from the Palestinians. The United States, British and Australian governments are happy to oblige. This has been demonstrated this by their participation in bombing raids on Yemen. All in retaliation for Yemen stopping ships from using their territorial waters to deliver supplies to Israel.

By doing, these friends of the Israeli regime are risking an escalation to a regional war. At worst, it could escalate into a world war.

South Africans recognise the right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation. They waged their own fight against the apartheid, and they see that today the Palestinians are fighting another apartheid regime. For they know that Israel and the same nations now officially backing Isael are the same one that backed and aided the apartheid regime in their country. Israel was the most vocal backer and arms supplier of the South African apartheid regime.

A new suit lodged by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) charges the state of Israel with multiple violations of the Geneva Convention, during its almost four-month long genocide in Gaza. Doing this is an act of timely leadership.

Indonesia and Slovenia are to present another suit to the same court on 19 February. This one aims at getting a clear statement on more than 70 years of violations of the rights of Palestinians. International law demands that nations act on recognised violations of human rights and hold the violators to account.

The reality is that Israel and its backers will ignore such a verdict. But this won’t deny a major political defeat. An unfavourable verdict will still make it harder for the violators to continue the present slaughter, and mount pressure for a just and lasting solution to the plight of the Palestinians. They, and not their oppressors, are on the right side of history.