Palestine official condemns Israeli logic for Gaza killings

Palestine flag. Wikimedia Commons.

Penang, 20 Nov (Kanaga Raja) — A representative from the State of Palestine last week severely criticized Israel for allegedly viewing the 2.3 million people living in Gaza as being “legitimate targets”, as well as questioned Israel’s claim of adhering to international law in its justification of the deaths of over 11,350 Palestinian people.

Responding to Israel’s statement at a meeting at the United Nations on 17 November, Palestine’s representative Nada Abu Tarbush at the outset reminded Israel that “our name is not the Palestinian Authority but the State of Palestine.”

Earlier in the week, at a UN meeting on 13 November, Ms Tarbush criticized the United States on its claim that it stands with the Palestinian civilians in Gaza while at the same time approving an additional $14.5 billion military aid package for Israel (see below).

In her statement in response to Israel on 17 November, Ms Tarbush recalled the Israeli Finance Minister as saying at an event in Paris earlier this year that “there is no such thing as a Palestinian people”, and that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 24 September had held up a map at the UN General Assembly, entitled “The New Middle East”, in which Palestine was deleted and replaced entirely with Israel.

“But if your government is annexationist and racist, this body [the United Nations] is not, and we ask you to kindly adhere to UN protocol and nomenclature and to show respect to all stakeholders in this room,” Ms Tarbush reminded Israel.

She also reminded the Israeli delegate that the lack of rules of procedure for the meeting does not give carte blanche to lose all sense of decorum when speaking to interlocutors in this room.

“To the other States and civil society in the room, let me simplify Israel’s statement for you. Other than throwing insults around and making grave baseless accusations, Israel said something that should make all of you shudder.”

According to Ms Tarbush, “Israel effectively said “I can kill any and every person in Gaza. The 2.3 million people in Gaza are either terrorists or terrorist sympathizers or human shields and are therefore legitimate targets”.”

“Every person, according to Israel, falls into one of these three categories – a child, a journalist, a doctor, a UN staff, a newborn baby in an incubator.

“And so, according to Israel, it can kill them and then have the audacity to come to this room and tell the world with a straight face, “we are acting in accordance with international law”.”

The death of each of the over 11,350 people killed over the past month, be it children, journalists, UN staff, the sick, the elderly, according to Israel, was justified, said Ms Tarbush.

“Think about that for a moment and let it give you pause,” she told the delegates.

“Anyone espousing this warped logic has no shred of humanity, no sense of morality, and no knowledge of legality,” the Palestinian official emphasized.

“But guess what, your carpet explanation for carpet bombing will not fly. People are not fools,” she said.

“The people in this room are seasoned diplomats who are well read, have a knowledge of history, and many of whom have seen your government make the same arguments during your six previous military aggressions on Gaza in the past 15 years,” she told Israel.

“They have seen you resort to collective punishment, targeting of Palestinian children, journalists, medical staff, [and] aid workers before,” Ms Tarbush added.

“They have seen you forcibly transfer our communities, colonize our lands, demolish our homes, and evict families from their own properties, since the 7th of October and for the 75 years that preceded it.”

“They have seen your state-sponsored disinformation campaign before. Again, not fools, don’t insult our intelligence,” said Ms Tarbush.

She pointed out that by saying it is acting in accordance with international law, Israel is effectively saying that the UN Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, OCHA (UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs), UN Special Rapporteurs, the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the situation, human rights organizations, disarmament NGOs, and humanitarian NGOs worldwide, as well as countless legal experts are all wrong.

“Everyone is lying about Israel violating international law and we are asked instead to believe Israel, the state that is actually doing the indiscriminate killing,” she said.

She pointed out that by saying even wars have rules, Israel quoted the very same UN Secretary-General, whose resignation it has called for because he dared to say that Israel has a history of occupying Palestinian land.

“The dissonance of hearing the Israeli representative talk about wars having rules as it commits genocide and breaches every rule in the book live on our TV screens is quite something,” said Ms Tarbush.

“To Israel, we say, we see through your PR and disinformation. The whole world sees through your PR and disinformation.”

“The millions of people filling the streets in every major capital of the world calling you out for genocide sees through your PR and disinformation,” she said.

She said: “Perhaps you think that with your incendiary rhetoric, we will all forget the incitement, the declarations and acts of Israeli officials, the people you represent to wipe out Gaza, to drop a nuclear bomb on the Palestinian people, to destroy the “human animals” and “children of darkness”, she added.

“Perhaps you think that your constant intimidation and threatening language will make everyone overlook the fact Israel is, as we speak, killing babies, youth, women, men, elderly, no one too small or too old or too sick to be spared its wrath.”

“Perhaps you think that by cutting off telecommunications and imposing yet another blackout on Gaza, you can continue to commit genocide, while avoiding the annoyance of people being able to use their phones and computers to report on it.

“Perhaps you think that as your trigger happy soldiers continue to kill journalists, 41 so far, the highest number of journalists killed over a four week period than in any conflict in the last three decades.”

“You think no one will be left to expose your crimes,” said Ms Tarbush.

“Perhaps you think that by trying to silence anyone who tries to speak about your crimes, the international law violations of a state, by calling them either anti-Semites or terror supporters, people will be silent, and your intimidation campaign knows no bounds – the attack on Palestinians, Jews, Israelis, UN officials, politicians, parliamentarians, university professors, and anyone worldwide who calls you out for your violations of international law,” said the Palestinian official.

“But guess what, your intimidation and silencing will not work. We, along with all peace-loving nations and along with all people of conscience around the world will not be silent.

“We will continue to call you out on your crimes, to call for accountability for your violations, for sanctions as your government continues to reject calls for a ceasefire, to massacre our people and to entrench your colonial occupation and apartheid regime.”

Ms Tarbush said that something Israel should have learned over the past 75 years “is that the Palestinian people are a people who refuse to disappear and your nuclear threats and your bombs and your tanks and your bulldozers will never break the Palestinian people’s will to be free and to live in dignity and peace to which all people are entitled.”

Unlike Israel, the Palestinian representative said, “we have consistently stood in this forum calling for respect for international law, for ethical principles to guide state behaviour, for peace over war, for humanity over national interests, for disarmament over destruction.”

“Once again, we stand in this forum to call on all states to respect and ensure respect for international law,” she added.

She said let the law be the measure by which all are judged, not propaganda, and hateful biassed spins steeped in racism. To Israel’s absurd assertion that Palestinians have a problem with people of Jewish faith and give the impression that this is a religious conflict, she said, “let us say loud and clear, this is not and has never been about religion.”

“Had the occupiers of our land or the violators of our rights been Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, atheist, or of any other conviction, we would have called them out all the same,” she added.

She noted that Palestine has always been multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and multi-religious, and that people of Jewish faith have lived in historic Palestine as Palestinians for centuries.

“We consider them to be our brothers and sisters, and since the memory of the Holocaust has been invoked, let us also say loud and clear, we have the greatest of solidarity with both the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.”

Ms Tarbush stressed that it was not Palestinians that committed that horrific genocide but the fascist forces that spawned from Europe, and it is unconscionable that a number of European leaders are again beating the drum as another genocide is now underway in Gaza.

“We are united with those hundreds of thousands of Jews around the world including from organizations like Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, Naamod UK who are calling out this genocide and chanting in the streets of New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Toronto, and all major Western cities, so that their governments can hear: Not in Our Name. End the Genocide in Gaza.”

“With them, we stand together to end this pain and suffering. Together, we will not allow this to happen. Never again is now,” Ms Tarbush concluded.

RESPONSE TO US STATEMENT

Earlier in the week at the United Nations on 13 November, in response to the statement by the United States, Ms Tarbush said the United States does not get to pretend that it stands with the Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

She said that it does not get to pretend this “when the United States has just approved an additional $14.5 billion military aid package to Israel as Israel pummels Palestinian civilians to the ground, most of them refugees and children.”

She pointed out that the US is also planning to send $300 million in precision bombs to Israel according to the Wall Street Journal.

She asked: “Can the United States explain how this is in line with any of its obligations under international humanitarian law and human rights law, let alone its commitments under the Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas?”

It is unsurprising that the stock prices of weapons manufacturers have skyrocketed over the recent period and continue to rise, as Israel bombards Gaza, said Ms Tarbush.

For example, she noted that the market value of the biggest US weapons manufacturers increased by over $23 billion after 7 October.

“And it is undeniable that the United States profits from war throughout its entire history. There are only 15 years in which the United States has not been at war with another country,” she pointed out.

“Let that sink in. 15 years only in the United States’ entire history, but no one, neither Israel nor the United States nor arms manufacturers should be allowed to profit from the killing or maiming of Palestinian civilians.”

“So no, you do not get to say you stand with Palestinians until you stop sending arms to Israel as it commits genocide,” Ms Tarbush told the United States. – Third World Network