Washington at odds with international consensus
Speaking to the media in Brazil on Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said of the situation in Gaza that “we all share the same goals” and “everyone wants to see an end to this conflict as soon as possible”.
But thanks to a technical mistake that enabled a small group of journalists to listen in on the discussions of the G20 foreign ministers because the audio headsets were broadcasting their remarks, it is clear that many of the other participants were scornful of such claims.
With the US opposing a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday, the third time it has done so, the US’ stance was widely questioned by the other participants in the session.
While the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct 7 triggered the Israeli onslaught on the Palestinian enclave, that does not justify the brutality of the Israeli offensive, which has already claimed the lives of over 29,000 Palestinians, many of them women and children.
Nor does Blinken’s claim that so many innocents are suffering and continue to suffer terribly, because they are caught in a cross fire of Hamas’ making, since agreement hasn’t been reached on the 100 hostages that are being held by Hamas.
Israel has occupied lands of Palestine for decades, during which, with the backing of the US, Israel has always taken an I-don’t-care approach against calls from the international society for it to obey the international and humanitarian laws. In that time, it has acted against a growing number of UN resolutions, from No 194 about allowing refugees to return to their homes in 1948 to No 2720 about humanitarian issues in 2023. So while Blinken was right in saying everyone supports finding a way to end the conflict and move to the path of a durable solution, it seems that is effectively the whole of the international community bar the US.
Even the United Kingdom, a country that seems robotically programmed to toe the US line, while unable to show any suspicion of being disloyal, could not bring itself to vote in accordance with the US on the recent Gaza resolutions, and abstained.
Besides, the US’ unconditional support of Israel continues to make the situation worse. On Thursday, Australia’s representative in the G20 session called on Israel to “not go down the path” of carrying out its planned military campaign in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter.
The US’ refusal to call for a cease-fire has also led to the whole regional situation becoming a mess threatening even its own interests.
The US should take a good look at itself and reflect on the consequences of its actions. It should join the rest of the international community in their efforts to rein in Israel and work with other countries to secure a cease-fire.