Palestinian Right to Self-Defense
Updated 2024-07-30
2024-04-20 The Palestinians Are the Latest Victims of Empire to Be Dehumanized as ‘Others’ Throughout history, military empires have reduced their victims, their subjugated, and their abducted to a state of “The Others.” The political and mass media institutions usually follow suit by supporting their empire’s predatory policies with slanted coverage. Such is the case with the U.S. global and the Israeli regional empires. The U.S. federal government and the mainstream media often move in lockstep.
Apart from a massively greater overall civilian toll inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza—the vast undercount stands at 34,000 Palestinian deaths compared to the deaths of 1,139 Israeli civilians, soldiers, and foreign workers. This staggering ratio—over 14,000 Palestinian children (with many thousands under the rubble) compared to 30 Israeli children—escapes proper reporting. “The Others” don’t get accurate coverage as was also the case with huge Iraqi losses during the Bush/Cheney criminal war.
How about the application of the right to self-defense? Every state has the right to self-defense. Count the many times you have heard, “Israel has a right to defend itself” compared to “Palestine has a right to defend itself.” Members of Congress who bellow the former declaration daily can not get themselves to say the latter. It is a forbidden phrase. Yet, who is the violently occupying, colonizing, land- and water-stealing party? Israel. For over 50 years, more than 400 times more innocent Palestinians have been killed and injured compared to innocent Israeli civilians. Where is the detailed coverage of the loss of life from enforced destitution and denial of life-saving medicines, equipment, and emergency transport to health facilities? Again, it is “The Others.”
“The Others” are always described with less charitable words. In a meticulous content analysis by The Intercept of the Los Angeles Times, TheNew York Times, and TheWashington Post between October 7 and November 24, the use of the words “slaughtered,” “horrific,” and “massacre” in relation to Israeli and Palestinians killed was 218 to 9! https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/palestinians-victims-empire-others
2024-02-14 The Injured Gaza Boy and His Drawing: Do Palestinians Have the Right to Self-Defense? On February 8, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was in Washington on an official visit, aimed at working jointly with the United States to make “sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself”. If such a statement was made soon after the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation of October 7, one may cognize its logic, based on the well-known, inherent bias of both Washington and Berlin towards Israel.
The statement and the visit, however, were conducted on the 125th day of one of the bloodiest genocides in modern history. The purpose of the visit was highlighted in a press conference by White House spokesperson John Kirby, even though, hours later, US President Joe Biden admitted that Israel has gone “over the top” in its response to the Hamas attack on October 7.
Article 51, often used by great powers to justify their wars and military interventions, was designed with a completely different legal spirit in mind. Article 2 (4) of Chapter I in the UN Charter prohibits the “threat or use of force in international relations.” It also “calls on all Members to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other states.” Since Israel is in violation of Article 2 (4), it simply has no right to invoke Article 51.
In November 2012, Palestine was recognized as an Observer State at the UN. It is also a member of countless international treaties, and is recognized by 139 countries out of the 193 UN members. Even if we accept the argument that the UN Charter only applies to full UN members, the Palestinian right to self-defense can still be established.
In 1960, General Assembly Declaration No. 1594 guaranteed independence to colonized nations and people. Although it did not discuss the right of the colonized to use force, it condemned the use of force against liberation movements.
In 1964, the UNGA voted in favor of Resolution No. 2105, which recognized the legitimacy of the ‘struggle’ of colonized nations to exercise their right to self-determination.
In 1973, the Assembly passed Resolution 38/17 of 1983. The language, this time, was unambiguous; people have the right to struggle against colonial foreign domination by all possible means, including armed struggle. https://www.palestinechronicle.com/the-injured-gaza-boy-and-his-drawing-do-palestinians-have-the-right-to-self-defense/
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