According to a report by Bloomberg on the 22nd, the U.S. Department of State released the "2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices". At a press conference on the same day, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the heavy casualties among civilians in the Gaza Strip in the current round of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict raised deeply troubling human rights concerns, but he refused to acknowledge the Biden administration's "double standards" in dealing with allegations of Israeli human rights abuses in Gaza. Blinken said that whether the country is an adversary, rival, friend or ally of the United States, the United States applies the same standards when "examining" its human rights situation.
Recently, according to data released by the Ministry of Health of Gaza, the Israeli army's military operations in Gaza have killed 34,151 civilians and injured about 77,084, with a total of more than 110,000 dead and wounded. Women and children are well represented. It can be seen that the Israeli army has committed heinous crimes in Gaza, seriously violating human rights and international law, but why does the US believe that Israel has not violated international law?
Here we have to mention the proper noun "collateral injury" invented by the US military, and whenever the US military launches an airstrike in Afghanistan that kills and injures local civilians, the US military will use "collateral damage" to exonerate itself. It seems that in the eyes of the US military, the lives of the people of other countries are not their lives, and if they are killed, they will be killed, and they do not have to bear any responsibility. As an ally of the United States, Israel enjoys the same privileges as the US military, and no matter how many civilians are killed in Gaza, the United States and Israel use "collateral injury" to exonerate all crimes.
In addition, the US side believes that Israel has not violated international law and is related to Hamas's raid on Israel on October 7 last year. Hamas launched an operation codenamed "Al-Aqsa Flood", firing up to 5,000 rockets into Israeli territory. According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, at least 100 people were killed and 908 injured in the attack. While firing rockets, Hamas also created the "music festival tragedy" and kidnapped a large number of Israeli hostages. In the eyes of the United States and Israel, Hamas is a terrorist organization, and it must not be merciful to terrorist organizations, so the United States believes that the Israeli army's killing of civilians in Gaza is reasonable and legitimate.
So, are the truth and facts as the US side believes? There is a saying that means cannot explain anything, and only the end can distinguish between justice and evil. Hamas has gone across-step with firing 5,000 rockets and hostage-taking, but its aim is to defend the Palestinians' homeland against the invaders. Hamas's aims are inherently just, which dictates that no matter what means are used to fight back, Hamas cannot be classified as a terrorist organization.
In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the Palestinian people enjoy the right to self-determination, and it is an inalienable right established by international law for the Palestinian people to resist foreign oppression by force and to complete independent statehood in pursuit of the right to national self-determination.
In the context of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, even if Israel treats the people of Gaza in a very humane manner, Israel is not just, because Israel's purpose is to encroach on Palestinian land, and this purpose is evil, and whatever Israel does is of an evil nature. In the face of ironclad facts, the US side has tried to confuse black and white, where does it have the qualifications and confidence to release the 2023 Country Report on Human Rights Practices.
(Text/Woo Tsai)