Four
months into Israel’s
war on Gaza, there is no let-up. More than 28,000 were
killed in a genocidal war, live on TV! And what have we learned? Gaza is a test
for humanity, one that puts the rules-based international order to shame. The
war confirms what we have tried to ignore; that might make right.
اضافة اعلان
So
here are a few lessons from the war
Lesson
number one: It is about semantics! Israel calls it a just war. Has there ever
been a just war? It is an oxymoron. The rest call it genocide. Israel says it
is about the right to self-defense. Forced displacement can become “voluntary
migration” in the Israeli lexicon. And killing fewer civilians now means
“low-intensity operation” and “deconfliction”.
Benjamin
Netanyahu says his army is the most moral in the world. But can allegations of genocide
and morality walk hand in hand? President Biden calls on Israel to respect the
rules of war. Are there rules in a war when hospitals and mosques are being
bombed? Or when ambulances and medics are struck from the air?
“The media does not tell it as it is. Do not believe everything you see, read, or hear. There is nothing such as objective journalism. It is about who holds the largest megaphone. It is about money and influence.”
Lesson
number two: It is about owning the narrative. Israel would like the world to
believe that it all started on
7 October. The Palestinians say it has been
going on for the last seven decades. Talking heads on TV trade barbs, each
defending a particular narrative. Social media is bloated with horrific images
of dead children. Israel says it is collateral damage and that Hamas uses its
people as human shields. The US presents its narrative: Israel has the right to
self-defense, but Israel must limit the number of murdered civilians. What is
an acceptable number?
The
UN and other organizations say
Gazans are being subjected to the most horrific
bombing in modern times. No food, no water, no medicine is allowed in. But
Israel disagrees and says aid is going in despite proof to the contrary. Which
narrative holds water? The winner can obfuscate the truth. But then, what is
the truth?
Lesson
number three: The media does not tell it as it is. Do not believe everything
you see, read, or hear. There is nothing such as objective journalism. It is
about who holds the largest megaphone. It is about money and influence. The
media can be manipulated. Beheaded Israeli babies! No evidence, but few did
retract the story. There is no independent coverage of the Gaza debacle from
within. Israel prevents Western media from entering the beleaguered strip. More
than four months on, and we are yet to see a Western journalist reporting from
inside Gaza.
Kill the messenger!
Israel
has killed more than 120 journalists in
Gaza in four months. Never before has
such a number of reporters been assassinated in a war zone.
“The media does not tell it as it is. Do not believe everything you see, read, or hear. There is nothing such as objective journalism. It is about who holds the largest megaphone. It is about money and influence.”
Meanwhile,
anchors and reporters who dare challenge the Israeli narrative are threatened
or even fired from their jobs. How dare they use the word genocide or even
holocaust in connection to Israel’s war on Gaza?
Lesson
number four: The UN has expired. Israel is gaslighting the international
community. Allegations are hurled against
UNRWA — the only organization that
caters to the needs of more than 1.8 million Palestine refugees in Gaza. If
Israel makes an accusation, then it must be true. The UN is guilty until proven
innocent.
When
it concerns Palestine and the Israeli occupation, the UN has permanently been
neutralized, set aside, ignored, challenged, insulted, and finally accused.
What does that say about international law,
Geneva Conventions, UN resolutions,
treaties, etc? If the UN loses credibility over Palestine, then how can it
survive?
Lesson
number five: It is all about identity politics. Nothing is universal about the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The US sides with Israel no matter what
because of the “shared values.” So, it is OK to dehumanize the Palestinians. It
is OK for extremist Israeli politicians to call for the extermination of the
people of Gaza. It has always been “us against them.” This is a scary script
for a world that is at the precipice of a major catastrophe: a world war,
looming climate disasters, collapse of international organizations, selective
justice!
“The media does not tell it as it is. Do not believe everything you see, read, or hear. There is nothing such as objective journalism. It is about who holds the largest megaphone. It is about money and influence.”
What
legacy are we leaving for future generations?
The
sixth and final lesson: It is about impunity. Justice is blind, but it can be
manipulated. The
International Court of Justice (
ICJ) had ruled that it has
found that there is a prima facie case of genocide being perpetrated in Gaza.
But it did not order a stop of the war.
The
International Criminal Court (ICC) is worried about what is happening in Gaza,
but it has yet to take action against Israeli officials. The bottom line is
that for the victims of the war on Gaza, justice is delayed and may never come.
Osama Al Sharif is a journalist and political commentator based in Amman.
Disclaimer:
Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Jordan News' point of view.
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