West applying ‘double standards’ to Israeli war crimes – Palestinian party leader
Israeli war crimes are an issue of double standards by Western governments, Palestinian National Initiative party leader Dr. Mustafa Barghouti told RT on Friday.
Barghouti was commenting on a recent investigation by the New York Times that found the Israeli military leadership has significantly loosened its warfare rules to bomb Hamas in the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack by the Palestinian militant group.
The NYT report, which cited more than 100 soldiers and officials, said Israeli officers have been approved to endanger up to 20 civilians in Gaza in order to kill a low-level fighter, and often hit targets selected partly using AI tools. That order unleashed “one of the deadliest bombardments of the 21st century,” the report said.
Asked if he was shocked by the revelation, Barghouti responded he was actually surprised that it took “such a long time” to conclude what had been clear in the very first months of the war.
“What Israel is doing is nothing but slaughter of the civilian population of Gaza,” he said.
The party leader pointed out that four towns in Gaza have already been razed to the ground, with some 55,000 people killed, 70% of them women and children.
”And it took the world 14 months to discover that,” Barghouti stated, adding that the onslaught is going on as the Israeli army just bombarded the last hospital in the north of Gaza, arrested medical personal, and killed 50 people there.
Barghouti emphasized this would not have happened if the Western governments did not allow Israel to proceed with its war crimes.
The US is providing Israel with “every possible military arsenal” and many European governments continue to support this, he said.
”It is clear that Israel would not be able to continue its war for a single week without Washington’s support,” the politician argued.
Barghouti also pointed out that the IDF has been occupying parts of Syria and Lebanon, and began bombing Yemen.
”What we see is not only an Israeli government of occupation but an Israeli fascist government that behaves as an imperial power, trying to impose its control all over the region,” he claimed.
According to the Palestinian party leader, the world has not seen “such kind of aggressor behavior and military actions since maybe Nazi Germany’s attacks on its neighbors during the World War II.”
And then, according to him, comes the big question for every Western government, “why do they have double standards when it comes to Israel? Why Israel is allowed to be above the international law?”
The Israeli government should be punished, sanctioned and subjected to divestment and boycott, Barghouti concluded.
