Post-1948 world order ‘at risk of decimation’ amid war in Gaza, Ukraine: Amnesty
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/4/24/post-1948-order-at-risk-of-decimation-amid-war-in-gaza-ukraine-amnesty
Amnesty International has accused the world’s most powerful governments, including China, Russia and the US, of leading the global disregard for international rules and values enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
The war in Gaza, which began on October 7, was a “descent into hell”, Amnesty’s Secretary-General Agnes Callamard wrote in her preface to her organisation’s annual report, noting that “the ‘never again’ moral and legal lessons [of 1948] were torn into a million pieces”.
Callamard said Israel’s “campaign of retaliation” following the October 7 attack by Hamas had become a “campaign of collective punishment”.
And as Israel continues to disregard international human rights law, the US and other countries, including the United Kingdom and Germany, were now guilty of “grotesque double standards”, Callamard said, given their willingness to back Israel’s war on Gaza while condemning war crimes by Russia in Ukraine.
‘No more money for Netanyahu’s war machine’: Bernie Sanders
Two US senators who voted against the enormous foreign military assistance bill cited Israel’s war on Gaza as the reason.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders said American taxpayers “should not be providing billions more to the extremist Netanyahu government to continue its devastating war against the Palestinian people”.
“Enough is enough. No more money for Netanyahu’s war machine,” Sanders said in a statement.
Senator Peter Welch, a Democrat, offered similar reasons for his no vote. “Sending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government the munitions it is using to destroy Gaza is wrong and inconsistent with our foreign policy goals.”
Israeli minister praises ‘unbreakable’ relationship with US
Israel’s foreign minister has thanked the US Senate for approving the military assistance package worth an estimated $14bn for his country.
“The Israel aid package that now passed both houses of Congress is a clear testament to the strength of our alliance and sends a strong message to all our enemies,” Israel Katz posted on X.
He also thanked Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Republican Leader Mitch McConnell “for your unwavering commitment to Israel’s security. The Israel-US strategic partnership is unbreakable.”
The approval comes as the war in Gaza enters its 201st day, with more than 34,000 people killed in the Palestinian territory, mostly children and women.
Israeli minister says Biden policies ‘harming’ Israel, prefers Trump
Even as US President Biden prepares to sign off on billions more in military aid for Israel, the country’s diaspora affairs minister believes he is not doing enough to “project strength” for Israel.
“The US is not projecting strength under [Biden’s] leadership, and it’s harming Israel and other countries,” Amichai Chikli, a member of the right-wing Likud party, told Israel’s Kan Radio.
“He said ‘Don’t’ at the start of the war – to Hezbollah, as well as Iran. We saw the result.”
“If I were an American citizen with the right to vote, I’d vote for Trump and Republicans,” Chikli added.
Despite the Biden administration’s steadfast military and diplomatic support, it has incurred criticism from some Israeli officials for raising concerns about civilian casualties and insufficient aid supplies in Gaza while also urging Israel to exercise restraint towards Hezbollah and Iran to prevent regional conflict.
