Israel calls for UN chief to Resign for saying Hamas Attack ‘did not happen in a Vacuum’.
“Freedom of the Press, if it means anything at all, means the freedom to criticise and oppose.” – George Orwell.
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas rages on, we witness the tragic consequences of a seemingly endless cycle of violence.
Hamas’s deadly attacks on Israel have fueled regional turmoil, prompting a fierce retaliation that raises moral questions. Israel’s collective punishment – depriving Gaza of water, electricity and aid – affects the innocent, not just extremists. The forced displacement of Gazans is a prelude to further oppression to come.
As Palestinian casualties mount, global calls for a ceasefire go unheeded by Western governments, revealing hypocritical double standards on human rights. The outcry against Israel’s actions grows, but its allies remain silent unwilling to condemn the war crimes that are unfolding. At this moment it seems only growing public pressure prevents a full Gaza invasion, for now.
Amidst the chaos, the UN Secretary-General’s call for a ceasefire and acknowledging Palestinian suffering under occupation has incensed Israel. Demanding his resignation reveals an intolerance of truth-telling in power corridors. Facts inconvenient to the powerful are condemned as biased.
The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, had the audacity to suggest that the suffering of the Palestinian people, resulted from decades of occupation. His call for an immediate ceasefire, born out of a desire for peace, was met with hostility.
The @UN Secretary-General, who shows understanding for the campaign of mass murder of children, women, and the elderly, is not fit to lead the UN.
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 24, 2023
I call on him to resign immediately.
There is no justification or point in talking to those who show compassion for the most…
António Guterres said the Hamas attack on October 7 in which 1,400 people were killed “did not happen in a vacuum.”
“The Palestinian people have been subjected to 56 years of suffocating occupation,” Guterres said, according to Israeli outlet Haaretz, to the 15-member U.N. Security Council Tuesday after the Hamas-led Ministry of Health in Gaza reported more than 700 Palestinians were killed in 24 hours of Israeli airstrikes, the highest daily death toll since the bombardment began.
“But the grievances of the Palestinian people cannot justify the appalling attacks by Hamas. And those appalling attacks cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.”
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The Palestinian territories — which are the West Bank and Gaza, in addition to East Jerusalem — are widely recognised as occupied by Israel.
After Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called on UN secretary-general, António Guterres, to resign after his remarks he then took to X formally known as Twitter where he further posted another furious condemnation of the secretary-general, calling him “completely disconnected from the reality in our region and that he views the massacre committed by Nazi Hamas terrorists in a distorted and immoral manner”.
The shocking speech by the @UN Secretary-General at the Security Council meeting, while rockets are being fired at all of Israel, proved conclusively, beyond any doubt, that the Secretary-General is completely disconnected from the reality in our region and that he views the…
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) October 24, 2023
For Western governments, even this tempered critique proved unacceptable. The insistence on Guterres’ removal reveals an Orwellian intolerance of dissenting narratives. Where the spectacle of stifling dissent and controlling the narrative is on full display. Those who dare contradict the party line are branded as heretics in this era of doublespeak.
The UN Chief’s common-sense call for a ceasefire aimed only to alleviate a deepening humanitarian disaster. Yet the truth about Gaza’s plight under occupation and blockade is deemed too dangerous to voice.
Double Standards on Human Rights: The Israel-Hamas Dilemma
This clash of words at the United Nations reflects a broader global division. While many nations have condemned the actions of Hamas, however, there is an alarming silence surrounding the collective punishment imposed on Palestine by Israel. It is a disconcerting state of affairs when even humanitarian calls for aid and ceasefire are met with discord among world leaders.
The cowardice displayed by world leaders and the media in this conflict is unprecedented. Neutrality and false equivalences only enable the powerful. While condemning Hamas’ terrorism, Guterres rightly questioned the morality of depriving civilians of water and electricity. For this, he stands accused of bias.
It cannot be overstated that while the blockade on Gaza has further intensified in the wake of the conflict, it has brought the region to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. Millions of Palestinians are trapped in a desolate enclave, deprived of basic necessities. It is not merely a punitive measure; it’s a collective punishment that affects the innocent. It’s a tactic from the authoritarian playbook, a means to subdue a population that’s already under the weight of occupation.
At the moment of publication, nearly 6,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed in response to the attacks by Hamas.
On matters of life and death, neutrality is not an option. Difficult truths must be spoken, no matter how objectionable to some. Justice relies on lifting the fog and speaking truth to power, to see the oppressed as fully human. Only then can peace prevail over vengeance.
Postscript: For those who question why support Gaza and not Grimsby, or any other place in need. The answer lies in solidarity, the unity of the working class, and the shared struggle against oppression.
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