SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Relatives mourn over the body of Palestinian Yazan Al-Najmi during his funeral on January 18, 2024. Nine Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone strike that targeted two camps in the West Bank.
(Photo: Ayman Nobani/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The International Community Is Killing Palestinians Through Useless Debate
Are priorities so misplaced that world leaders cannot articulate the necessity of a permanent cease-fire as the way to alleviate the Palestinian people's suffering?
Feb 11, 2024
As Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people unfolds for the entire world to see in real time on social media, world leaders have only managed to debate humanitarian “pauses” rather than a ceasefire. Even the context of such temporary “ceasefires” is grossly misplaced, with the focus resting solely on the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no qualms about them ending up as collateral damage as he seeks the complete annihilation not just of Hamas, but also the entire Palestinian population in Gaza.
Netanyahu has rejected the Hamas proposal for a 135-day pause in fighting, during which a gradual release of all the hostages would be carried out in return for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. While Netanyahu’s rejection was to be expected, it is still aided largely by US rhetoric, which focuses solely on the Israeli hostages’ release and blames Hamas for all civilian deaths in Gaza, despite the fact that it is Israel that is bombing the enclave to total destruction.
There is no need to debate how to stop genocide, or whether to stop it, as it is clearly a violation of international law.
“We’re looking at it intensely, as is, I know, the government of Israel,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli President Isaac Herzog yesterday in Jerusalem, with regard to the Hamas proposal. “We are very much focused on doing that work and hopefully, being able to resume the release of hostages that was interrupted so many months ago.” Of course, there was no mention of the fact that Israel was so eager to resume bombing Gaza that, so far, it has not yet agreed to another meagre humanitarian pause, not even to save its own settlers.
Yet despite Netanyahu’s refusal to even consider the Israeli hostages’ safety, any deal is still being discussed within the context of securing their release. Thus, the narrative remains controlled by Israel and all that is left for the international community to do is to feign any concern and speak of humanitarian ceasefires and the release of Israeli hostages. What happens to Palestinians in Gaza has never been of concern to world leaders, who pretend to solve mass starvation with trucks of humanitarian aid that are targeted by Israel’s military, and who suspended funding to UNRWA, in the full knowledge that they are now overtly complicit in genocide.
Are priorities so misplaced that world leaders cannot articulate the necessity of a permanent ceasefire as the way to alleviate the Palestinian people’s suffering? A ceasefire should benefit Palestinians first and foremost; they are a colonised population on the verge of permanent annihilation or displacement, facing mass starvation as part of Israel’s genocidal actions, and yet the focus remains on Israeli hostages which the Israeli government keeps in danger for “complete victory” over Hamas. Netanyahu and his murderous ministers must know that ideas cannot be killed and anti-colonial resistance is as much a concept, as it is a legitimate action.
If the world wants to stop genocide, and to date it is clearly reluctant to do so, calling for a permanent ceasefire should be done with the Palestinians’ urgent needs uppermost in everyone’s mind. There is no need to debate how to stop genocide, or whether to stop it, as it is clearly a violation of international law. And yet, rambling on about Israeli hostages who would be freed as part of a deal that Netanyahu refuses to accept, remains the driving narrative. What is clearly missing from the rhetoric and yet remains visible in plain sight, is that Netanyahu has stretched the parameters of what constitutes an acceptable violation of international law, which is in itself an aberration, to the point of no return, with complete impunity. This has to stop.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Ramona Wadi
Ramona Wadi is an independent researcher, freelance journalist, book reviewer and blogger specializing in the struggle for memory in Chile and Palestine, colonial violence and the manipulation of international law.
As Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people unfolds for the entire world to see in real time on social media, world leaders have only managed to debate humanitarian “pauses” rather than a ceasefire. Even the context of such temporary “ceasefires” is grossly misplaced, with the focus resting solely on the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no qualms about them ending up as collateral damage as he seeks the complete annihilation not just of Hamas, but also the entire Palestinian population in Gaza.
Netanyahu has rejected the Hamas proposal for a 135-day pause in fighting, during which a gradual release of all the hostages would be carried out in return for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. While Netanyahu’s rejection was to be expected, it is still aided largely by US rhetoric, which focuses solely on the Israeli hostages’ release and blames Hamas for all civilian deaths in Gaza, despite the fact that it is Israel that is bombing the enclave to total destruction.
There is no need to debate how to stop genocide, or whether to stop it, as it is clearly a violation of international law.
“We’re looking at it intensely, as is, I know, the government of Israel,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli President Isaac Herzog yesterday in Jerusalem, with regard to the Hamas proposal. “We are very much focused on doing that work and hopefully, being able to resume the release of hostages that was interrupted so many months ago.” Of course, there was no mention of the fact that Israel was so eager to resume bombing Gaza that, so far, it has not yet agreed to another meagre humanitarian pause, not even to save its own settlers.
Yet despite Netanyahu’s refusal to even consider the Israeli hostages’ safety, any deal is still being discussed within the context of securing their release. Thus, the narrative remains controlled by Israel and all that is left for the international community to do is to feign any concern and speak of humanitarian ceasefires and the release of Israeli hostages. What happens to Palestinians in Gaza has never been of concern to world leaders, who pretend to solve mass starvation with trucks of humanitarian aid that are targeted by Israel’s military, and who suspended funding to UNRWA, in the full knowledge that they are now overtly complicit in genocide.
Are priorities so misplaced that world leaders cannot articulate the necessity of a permanent ceasefire as the way to alleviate the Palestinian people’s suffering? A ceasefire should benefit Palestinians first and foremost; they are a colonised population on the verge of permanent annihilation or displacement, facing mass starvation as part of Israel’s genocidal actions, and yet the focus remains on Israeli hostages which the Israeli government keeps in danger for “complete victory” over Hamas. Netanyahu and his murderous ministers must know that ideas cannot be killed and anti-colonial resistance is as much a concept, as it is a legitimate action.
If the world wants to stop genocide, and to date it is clearly reluctant to do so, calling for a permanent ceasefire should be done with the Palestinians’ urgent needs uppermost in everyone’s mind. There is no need to debate how to stop genocide, or whether to stop it, as it is clearly a violation of international law. And yet, rambling on about Israeli hostages who would be freed as part of a deal that Netanyahu refuses to accept, remains the driving narrative. What is clearly missing from the rhetoric and yet remains visible in plain sight, is that Netanyahu has stretched the parameters of what constitutes an acceptable violation of international law, which is in itself an aberration, to the point of no return, with complete impunity. This has to stop.
Ramona Wadi
Ramona Wadi is an independent researcher, freelance journalist, book reviewer and blogger specializing in the struggle for memory in Chile and Palestine, colonial violence and the manipulation of international law.
As Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people unfolds for the entire world to see in real time on social media, world leaders have only managed to debate humanitarian “pauses” rather than a ceasefire. Even the context of such temporary “ceasefires” is grossly misplaced, with the focus resting solely on the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, even though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no qualms about them ending up as collateral damage as he seeks the complete annihilation not just of Hamas, but also the entire Palestinian population in Gaza.
Netanyahu has rejected the Hamas proposal for a 135-day pause in fighting, during which a gradual release of all the hostages would be carried out in return for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. While Netanyahu’s rejection was to be expected, it is still aided largely by US rhetoric, which focuses solely on the Israeli hostages’ release and blames Hamas for all civilian deaths in Gaza, despite the fact that it is Israel that is bombing the enclave to total destruction.
There is no need to debate how to stop genocide, or whether to stop it, as it is clearly a violation of international law.
“We’re looking at it intensely, as is, I know, the government of Israel,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli President Isaac Herzog yesterday in Jerusalem, with regard to the Hamas proposal. “We are very much focused on doing that work and hopefully, being able to resume the release of hostages that was interrupted so many months ago.” Of course, there was no mention of the fact that Israel was so eager to resume bombing Gaza that, so far, it has not yet agreed to another meagre humanitarian pause, not even to save its own settlers.
Yet despite Netanyahu’s refusal to even consider the Israeli hostages’ safety, any deal is still being discussed within the context of securing their release. Thus, the narrative remains controlled by Israel and all that is left for the international community to do is to feign any concern and speak of humanitarian ceasefires and the release of Israeli hostages. What happens to Palestinians in Gaza has never been of concern to world leaders, who pretend to solve mass starvation with trucks of humanitarian aid that are targeted by Israel’s military, and who suspended funding to UNRWA, in the full knowledge that they are now overtly complicit in genocide.
Are priorities so misplaced that world leaders cannot articulate the necessity of a permanent ceasefire as the way to alleviate the Palestinian people’s suffering? A ceasefire should benefit Palestinians first and foremost; they are a colonised population on the verge of permanent annihilation or displacement, facing mass starvation as part of Israel’s genocidal actions, and yet the focus remains on Israeli hostages which the Israeli government keeps in danger for “complete victory” over Hamas. Netanyahu and his murderous ministers must know that ideas cannot be killed and anti-colonial resistance is as much a concept, as it is a legitimate action.
If the world wants to stop genocide, and to date it is clearly reluctant to do so, calling for a permanent ceasefire should be done with the Palestinians’ urgent needs uppermost in everyone’s mind. There is no need to debate how to stop genocide, or whether to stop it, as it is clearly a violation of international law. And yet, rambling on about Israeli hostages who would be freed as part of a deal that Netanyahu refuses to accept, remains the driving narrative. What is clearly missing from the rhetoric and yet remains visible in plain sight, is that Netanyahu has stretched the parameters of what constitutes an acceptable violation of international law, which is in itself an aberration, to the point of no return, with complete impunity. This has to stop.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.