The systematic destruction of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli air force and army began three months ago in response to Hamas terrorist attacks that killed 1,400 people. The bombings continue uninterruptedly: Since that day, 23 thousand Palestinian civilians, mostly women and children, have died, and the total number of injured is 53 thousand. “Save the Children” announced that ten children lose one or both legs every day, often undergoing amputation without anesthesia. The Gaza Strip has become hell on earth, entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, thousands of people have been forced to emigrate (synonymous with deportation); While refugee camps, schools, mosques and hospitals are bombarded, those who do not die under the rubble are in danger of extinction due to lack of food, water and medicine. Data on acute malnutrition exceed the famine threshold; Unicef ​​says it is particularly concerned about the situation of 155,000 pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, as well as 135,000 children under the age of two. The dramatic body count tells us that more than 1% of the Strip’s population has been wiped out: horrified, helpless, we witness what is in effect an ethnic cleansing operation on live television. Genocide of the Palestinian people.

In an article dated October 16, I wrote: “Besieging a city like Gaza, which has the highest population density in the world, cutting off the water and energy of the population, as well as bombing and destroying neighborhoods, is a crime against humanity.” […]. In such an urban context, the targeted targets cannot be: A massacre targeting civilians.” What happened from the first days of the conflict was obvious, the evidence was in front of everyone. So much so that Israel, the company that overshadowed the massacre, started killing dozens of journalists in its raids: At least 80 journalists have been killed while doing their jobs to date. However, the main information channels are no longer available on Telegram because they “violated local laws.” “

The massacre was obvious to everyone from the beginning, but this was not (and is not) the case for the leaders of the Western great powers, Europe and the USA: “Italy stands and continues to work with the Israeli people in this difficult time” Giorgia Meloni, speaking with Israeli President Isaak Herzog “For a lasting peace,” he said in his statement after the meeting in December. Keeping these words in mind, let’s return to the war in Ukraine, which disappeared from the radar for a moment but continues to give victims. According to the UN report, the Russian occupation started on February 24, 2022. At least 10 thousand civilians have been killed since 2009. The whole world rightly stood up to defend the Ukrainian people: mountains of money and weapons were sent, Russia was subjected to all kinds of economic sanctions. But now, with its bombings, it has more than doubled in three months (not two years). We are indifferently witnessing the brutality of Israel, which has caused so many victims: but Netanyahu, unlike Putin, is not the new Hitler, the new Satan. In fact, “Italy stands with the Israeli people, who kill dozens of defenseless civilians every day and have no intention of stopping.”

West’s double standards

This is the double standard of the West, which is ready to defend its values ​​of peace, sovereignty and justice, but only applies when its own interests are attacked or when the criminal is not an ally. A double standard that destroys credibility among other nations and will (in the near future) lead to the emergence of new terrorism: for fanatics in office or for those who are not fanatics but have lost their homes and family members. under the bombs – NATO countries are political and military allies of Israel and will therefore be considered jointly responsible. In fact, there is not a single president or prime minister who has made a decisive call for an immediate ceasefire, which is the only way to end the massacre. In fact, our ally, who announced that the war will continue throughout 2024, has actually entered the ranks of the criminal states of history with the “Iron Swords” operation – a biblical-like name that reminds us of the disasters of the Tawhid faith.

A final note on the issue of double standards: the BBC decided not to call Hamas militants “terrorists”, just as it did not do the Taliban: this choice follows from a long and firm principle of impartiality when dealing with information on warring parties. The decision is debated and controversial: But in the ongoing conflict, it seems more appropriate than ever, or we would run the risk of having to call “terrorist” even the State that did so for three months – by the same principle of equality. is constantly bombing a densely populated area. But in Italy I often read comparing the actions of the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces, where ‘defence’ is black humour) to the actions of the “Hamas butchers”: but if these are butchers, we already know who the owners of these weapons are. There is a slaughterhouse.