Western governments and Gaza's graveyard of children

Unprecedented slaughter and complicity

But the current war, the Battle of the Al-Aqsa Flood, stands out not only because its death toll surpasses that of previous Israeli wars on Gaz.

The war appears to be in its initial stages, but already the sheer scale of destruction that has befallen Gaza has seen the complete eradication of numerous neighbourhoods and the displacement of half of its population, totalling over 2.3 million people, who have been forced to relocate to its southern region.

New types of destructive bombs are being used in this war, which has become a fully orchestrated ongoing crime sponsored by Western powers.

A nation is being slaughtered before the eyes of the "civilised" West while its leaders unabashedly continue to lend unwavering support to Israel.

It is essential to recall that in recent years, the West had consistently pointed fingers at Arab coalition countries for errors in warfare. These errors pale in comparison to the actions of Israel.

Based on these accusations, the West took measures to hinder the efforts of the Arab coalition, impeding them from fulfilling their mission and backing legitimacy, including restricting their access to advanced American and Western weaponry and accusing them of violating international humanitarian law, which governs the conduct of states during conflicts.

For many years, the West has persistently pursued and pressured these coalition nations. This trend continues in both its media and institutions, all under the pretext of upholding "human rights."

The Western world not only maintains a disturbing silence in the face of the systematic massacres perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian population in Gaza today, but it also actively encourages and participates in these atrocities.

It supplies the occupying state with armaments, providing weapons without cost to facilitate its criminal acts. It deploys its aircraft carriers to safeguard Israel, furnishes consultations and intelligence for its military endeavours, and shields it from accountability within the United Nations Security Council.

Additionally, the West exerts pressure on other nations, preventing them from upholding justice and international humanitarian law in this context.

Stark bias

The stark bias towards a state occupying another people has never occurred in the manner currently witnessed in the West's treatment of Israel.

The issue here is not about the double standards that Arabs have criticised, a point they have raised consistently in their dialogues with Western governments. It ignores all humane and ethical standards when it comes to Israel's brutal conduct, the crimes of which are too extensive to list.

From the onset of the Al-Aqsa Flood battle on October 7, Western leaders unequivocally stated that Israel possesses the right to defend itself without imposing any reservations or conditions concerning the safety of civilians and unarmed individuals.

During their visits to various Arab capitals, Western leaders consistently reiterated the same statement without questioning whether international law grants the occupying force the purported right to self-defence.

In 2004, the International Court of Justice provided a legal opinion on the issue of the separation barrier built by Israel, which annexed vast areas of Palestinian territories under its occupation.

The Court's opinion was clear: the occupying state cannot invoke Article 51 of the United Nations Charter to justify the construction of this barrier, as the right to self-defence does not apply to a state occupying another nation.

The relationship between the occupying state and the occupied population is governed by the Fourth Geneva Convention adopted by the United Nations in 1949.

This convention imposes specific obligations on the occupying state, including "protecting civilians," "providing them with food and medical supplies," and refraining from "individual or mass forcible transfer" from their places of residence.

Nevertheless, like a parrot unaware of the meaning behind its words, Western leaders persistently echo the self-defence rhetoric.

They are fully aware that the connection between Palestinians and the occupying state is governed by the Geneva Convention concerning the Protection of Civilians in Time of War rather than the United Nations Charter that governs relations between sovereign states.

Saudi position

Saudi Arabia has consistently underlined the imperative of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, along with the protection of civilians, cessation of forced displacement, unrestricted entry of humanitarian aid, and efforts towards reinstating the peace process.

This approach aims to secure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, enable the establishment of their independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and pave the way for a fair and comprehensive peace.

Failure to act in this direction risks escalating tensions in the entire region, as some entities could exploit this crisis to further their expansionist agendas and personal interests.

The moral decline of the West has exceeded all expectations and considerations. Palestinians, who have endured decades of killings, displacement, loss of homes, and imprisonment, are unjustly denied the right to self-defence.

Meanwhile, the very war machine that kills them humiliates them and robs them of their rights and possessions, is granted this fundamental right. The truth remains that the right to self-defence is not only just and ethical but also a duty for Palestinians.

They are the ones burdened by the weight of occupation, facing relentless injustice and persecution. They are the ones ignored by the West when they maintain silence and threatened by it when they assert their rights and dignity.

The right to armed resistance was deemed legitimate during pivotal moments in history, such as when Americans fought for independence against the British and when the French resisted Nazi occupation. Israelis themselves employed this right against the British before the Palestine issue was transferred to the United Nations and the British departure in 1948.

Palestinians have the legitimate right to resist occupation, and it is their resistance that has compelled the West to reevaluate the importance of reviving the two-state solution, which it had largely ignored since the failure of the Camp David negotiations in 2000.

Deliberate targeting of civilians 

The West's claim that Israel's current war is targeted solely at "armed factions" is a blatant falsehood. The reality is that Israel's war today extends to the entire Palestinian population in Gaza and the West Bank.

Otherwise, why would Israel be displacing them, demolishing their homes and hospitals, and depriving them of water, electricity, fuel, and food?

Israel's efforts to equate the events of October 7 with those of September 11, and the subsequent acceptance of this narrative by the West as reality, distort the truth. The incident on October 7 is part of a longstanding 75-year conflict between Palestinians and Israel.

Hamas, a Palestinian organisation, was initially facilitated by Israel in the 1980s to compete with the Palestine Liberation Organisation and create divisions within the Palestinian community.

Subsequently, Hamas transitioned towards direct resistance against Israel. Despite being aware of these facts, the West often chooses to overlook them, aligning with the Israeli narrative.

Western moral decay

The moral decay among Western politicians is disturbing beyond words. Those who have been involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for a long time have consciously chosen to erase their memory.

They selectively separate the current events from those that preceded them, overlooking the collective punishment imposed on Palestinian civilians in the process.

The events of October 7 caught Israel off guard with their magnitude, manner, and details. Yet, it should not come as a surprise that such fire would erupt underneath the Israelis, given the policies and actions of successive Israeli governments towards the Palestinian population.

The reaction was inevitable.

Read more: Antonio Guterres: The UN chief who infuriated Israel

The conflict has been ongoing for decades, and Gaza has been under siege since 2007. During this period, there have been six wars between the resistance and the occupation forces, the most recent of which took place in May last year following the assassination of several resistance leaders by Israel.

Western complicity and manufacture of consent

Western politicians have hastily rallied behind the occupying state, embracing Israel's unfounded claim that Palestinian fighters beheaded children, pushed for an expansion of the international coalition's mandate against ISIS to include those involved in the Gaza conflict and called for providing Israel with unwavering support.

This has enabled the destruction of innocent civilians' homes in Gaza under the pretext of self-defence and counter-terrorism and obstructed the UN Security Council from issuing a resolution calling for a ceasefire and allowing humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The West has lost its credibility, along with that of its media outlets and deceptive claims about upholding human rights.

The Western media distorted reality by embracing the Israeli narrative, falsely claiming that Palestinian fighters had beheaded children and raped women.

Additionally, it propagated the falsehood that Palestinian factions accidentally struck the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, causing the deaths of more than 500 Palestinians, including hospital staff, patients, and those seeking shelter from the continuous Israeli air strikes.

Despite being aware of Israel's responsibility for these events, the Western media propagated these false narratives. It deliberately withheld media content that revealed the brutality of the occupation and the killing of innocent people in Gaza.

However, their most egregious action was insisting that the victims condemn themselves, branding the events of October 7 as a terrorist act that Palestinians and Arabs must condemn before addressing any other concerns.

Yet, has the Western media ever asked about the numerous occasions when Israeli soldiers committed brutal crimes against Palestinian civilians? How often has it excused the occupation's atrocities, arguing that Palestinian "militants" used civilians as human shields?

According to the logic of the West, the victim is expected to shoulder the blame for the violence and devastation inflicted upon them.  This reflects an explicit adoption of the statement made by Golda Meir, Israel's Prime Minister during the October 6 war, who expressed her aversion to Palestinians by claiming that "they force Israel to kill them."

Brutality will not bring security

The West's brutal behaviour of defending Israel during this war compels Palestinians and Arabs to defy the West and reject its claims. It compels them to remind Western leaders that their oppressive and foolish policies of providing unwavering support for Israel do not lead to security, stability, or peace in either Israel or the Arab world.

Instead, such policies foster an environment conducive to terrorism, animosity, and disorder. These repercussions won't be confined solely to Arabs and their nations; their consequences will spread far and wide.

The events of October 7 and their aftermath have underscored that the Palestinian issue cannot be swept under the red carpet tread by Western leaders during their visits to Israel.

A path towards peace, stability, and coexistence in the region can only commence with a fair resolution adhering to international law, guaranteeing security and peace for all nations and peoples.

Without such a resolution, the vicious cycle of conflict will persist, leaving no room for hope in this troubled region.