Peoples without Nation

Top UN official in New York steps down citing ‘genocide’ of Palestinian civilians  https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/31/un-official-resigns-israel-hamas-war-palestine-new-york Mokhiber, who was stepping down having reached retirement age, wrote: “Once again we are seeing a genocide unfolding before our eyes and the organization we serve appears powerless to stop it.”

He said that the UN had failed to prevent previous genocides against the Tutsis in Rwanda, Muslims in Bosnia, the Yazidi in Iraqi Kurdistan and the Rohingya in Myanmar and wrote: “High Commissioner we are failing again.

“The current wholesale slaughter of the Palestinian people, rooted in an ethno-nationalist colonial settler ideology, in continuation of decades of their systematic persecution and purging, based entirely upon their status as Arabs … leaves no room for doubt.”

Mokhiber added: “This is text book case of genocide” and said the US, UK and much of Europe were not only “refusing to meet their treaty obligations” under the Geneva Conventions but were also arming Israel’s assault and providing political and diplomatic cover for it.

Israel-Hamas, Ukraine-Russia and China: John Mearsheimer on why the US is in serious trouble!  https://youtu.be/62FCVJycwSA?t=96 

Israel-Hamas, Ukraine-Russia and China: John Mearsheimer on why the US is in serious trouble!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62FCVJycwSA  https://youtu.be/29s8a6oskk8

The Middle East crisis will have have severe repercussions for Israel, its neighbors, and U.S. foreign policy. Israel's response to Hamas's attacks is expected to continue to provoke anger across the Middle East, potentially fueling jihadist movements and escalating conflicts with other groups, contributing to regional instability. The U.S. has a vital interest in maintaining stability in the Persian Gulf, but the Israel-Hamas conflict threatens to undermine this.

It's crucial to acknowledge that Russia, rather than constituting a substantial threat to the U.S., has the potential to be an ally in containing China. However, the U.S.-supported campaign in Ukraine has inadvertently drawn Russia closer to China, contravening the principles of balance-of-power politics, and this commitment to Ukraine is likely to remain.

All this conflict risks diverting American focus from East Asia, where efforts to forge a coalition to address a significant strategic challenge are underway, it's in Australia's interest to collaborate with the U.S. in deterring China. Beijing's optimal outcome involves the U.S. remaining deeply involved in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, preventing a full pivot to East Asia.

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The crisis in the Middle East is likely to have terrible consequences for Israel, its neighbours and U.S. foreign policy. Israel’s military response to Hamas’s attacks will surely trigger outrage across the Middle East, fueling jihadism, and might even lead to wars with Hezbollah and Iran. The U.S. has a vested interest in preserving stability in the Persian Gulf, but the Israel-Hamas war will lead to a more unstable region.

At the same time, Russia, far from being a serious threat to the U.S., should be its ally to contain China. However, the American-backed Ukraine campaign has foolishly pushed Russia closer to China, which is a violation of balance-of-power politics 101. The U.S. is now so deeply involved in Ukraine and has so committed its credibility to defeating Russia and preserving Ukrainian sovereignty that Washington will surely continue backing Kyiv for the foreseeable future.

Making matters worse, the new Middle East conflict will also distract America from East Asia where the U.S. has been working to put together a balancing coalition to contain a truly serious strategic threat. In that intensifying security competition, Australians have a deep-seated interest in working with the U.S. to deter China.

For Beijing, the best outcome would be if Washington remains deeply committed and frustrated in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, so the U.S. can’t fully pivot to East Asia.

The Indian government's decision to abstain from a resolution calling for a ceasefire betwen Israel and Gaza is a matter of pain and shame for the country's citizens.

In the United Nations General Assembly – considered the parliament of the world – 121 countries demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. This resolution also demanded the release of all civilians held captive. Fourteen countries opposed it and 44 countries, including India, abstained from voting.

The Indian government also argued that the resolution did not condemn the terrorism of Hamas. Is terrorism the most important issue at this moment? Or is it the lives of the thousands of Gaza residents who are being constantly bombarded by Israel?

The silence of the Indian government will be considered as support for Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. This is a matter of pain and shame for Indians because despite being economically weak, we were among the first countries to oppose apartheid in South Africa. We were among the first people to support the right of Palestinians to their own country. Today, we have lost that moral voice.

https://thewire.in/world/moral-hollowness-nations-israel-gaza-hamas-violence 

by Apoorvanand 

31/10/2023

What India Is Getting Wrong About the Israel-Hamas Conflict (thewire.in) 

The one-sided Indian official response – in favour of the confirmed aggressor of seven decades even by the UN’s reckoning, as resolution after resolution shows – in this moment of a building international crisis and the wholesale destruction of human rights, the physical flattening of Palestinian townships through the use of air power and artillery over a tiny area, street by street, building by building, while a full-scale Israel-imposed blockade of food, medicines, water and electricity obtains, has been pusillanimous.

The intent of the recent Indian statements appears two-fold: one, to be deployed for internal political purposes in months before major elections with the aim to arouse triumphalism and majority communalism within India against its largest religious minority since the Palestinians for the most part are Muslim; and two, by standing foursquare behind Israeli militarism to indirectly signal to the United States that India is willing to line up behind it in a crucial theatre even at the cost of abandoning its known position of challenging colonial occupation in the Palestine-Israel context.

Anand K. Sahay

16/10/2023