Steven Sahiounie, journalist and political commentator
The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter in an effort to push for a ceasefire in Gaza on December 6. Guterres has been calling for a ceasefire since October 18, but the US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield has been instructed by US President Joe Biden to never agree to any ceasefire in Gaza, and instead allow Israel the green-light to kill children, women and men in Gaza as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues with his revenge attack on Gaza, in response to the Hamas attack of October 7 which killed 1,400 Israelis.
The death toll in Gaza now stands at more than 15,000 Palestinians dead, the majority of whom are women or children.
In his letter to the 15-member security council's president, Guterres invoked this responsibility, saying he believed the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, "may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security".
Guterres has described "appalling human suffering, physical destruction and collective trauma across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories", and has said the Gaza is a graveyard for children.
The 'international community' has failed to stop a genocide in Gaza. The UN and humanitarian organizations have called the relentless Israeli attacks on 2 million civilians in Gaza a genocide unfolding before our eyes.
In the late 1930s and early 1940s, the Nazi regime led by Adolph Hitler in Germany committed a genocide against the Jews, mentally ill, and homosexuals in Germany and across Europe. Great Britain and the United States were well aware of the genocide, but stood by and did nothing initially. It wasn't until Hitler began occupying European lands that the US and its allies made a plan to stop Hitler. The genocide was not the impetus for action, but losing territory was something more serious in the eyes of the 'international community' of that era.
Today's 'international community' is viewed as the US and its allies, and are the European Union member states, and NATO members. But, there are some nations who are not part of that arrogant elite; countries like Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. South Africa has been particularly vocal about the apartheid state of Israel, as South Africa had a history of decades as an apartheid state, where white European settlers colonized the black African people.
Israel and their colonization and subjugation of the Palestinian people is a mirror image of the crimes against humanity endured in South Africa prior to their fight for freedom carried out by an armed struggle of the ANC and led by Nelson Mandela. It was a bloody fight for freedom, but they achieved victory, in part because of the support given them by the 'international community', which carried out boycotts of South African goods.
For decades, the American voter has been conditioned to believe that Israel shares the same values as the US. Americans have been spoon-fed a dogma that says Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and is the most important US ally in the region.
Americans value freedom, democracy and human rights. Americans traditionally take the side of the under-dog, the oppressed and those who 'yearn to be free'. But, Israel stands opposed to all those cherished American values. Israel, in their brutal treatment of Palestinians for the last 70 years, have demonstrated their national values are closer to the Third Reich in WW2-era Germany. Israel values only Jews; human rights, property rights and international law are reserved for the 6 million Jewish citizens, while the 6 million Palestinians are deprived of all rights and dignity.
In the American system of government, the people are the taxpayers and voters, but many feel they have no voice in Washington, DC. The US Congress is supposed to represent the people, but they have perpetuated the culture of acquiescing to any and all demands by Israel. This is facilitated through AIPAC, which many experts acknowledge holds sway over the US Congress.
Biden is facing re-election in less than one year. According to a new poll from Data for Progress, 70% of young voters of all ethnicities disapprove of Biden's handling of the Gaza war.
Over 70% of Democrats support a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and a total of 61% of Americans polled said they were in favor of a ceasefire.
Biden's position is the direct opposite of the Democratic caucus in the House, where roughly half have called for an end to the war.
The #AbandonBiden movement was launched by Arab American and Muslim leaders who are mobilizing supporters to not vote for Biden in 2024, because of his support for the genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza. The movement focuses on swing states with significant Arab or Muslim populations, and could make the difference between victory, or defeat for Biden.
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