Finally, justice, some sort of beginning, belated and partial, but still something. We cannot be happy that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense of our country will be wanted persons in the whole world, but it is difficult not to feel a certain satisfaction at the beginning of the establishment of justice. In the Israeli invasion and self-victimization, in the endless discussions in television studios, in the cries for anti-Semitism in the world and the injustice due to the association of Israel and Hamas - in all this one basic and fateful question is missing, and it is the main one: was there a crime or not?
If war crimes, mass slaughter and starvation were committed, as the brave prosecutor Karim Khan explains - whose appointment Israel pushed for, because his predecessor was suspicious to them - then there are those responsible for the crimes. And if there are war criminals, it is the duty of the world to judge them. The world must bring the wanted into custody.
If Hamas committed war crimes - and there seems to be no disagreement about that - then its criminals must be brought to justice. And if Israel committed war crimes - and there seems to be no disagreement about that in the world, except that Israel is lying to itself - then those responsible for them should also be brought to justice.
Their connection does not mean moral symmetry or legal equality. But even if the guilt of Israel and Hamas were separated, Israel would be inciting the world against the court.
The only claim heard so far in Israel is that the judge is the son of a bitch. The only means proposed to prevent the evil of his decree was an attack on the court. Persuading friendly countries not to follow orders, to introduce sanctions(!) against judges. That's how every criminal thinks, but the state has no right to that. The two international courts that judge Israel and Israelis deserve the state's respect, not contempt. The way Israel insults the court only adds to the series of accusations and suspicions against it.
It would have been better if Israel at this difficult moment had finally turned its gaze inward and seen itself. It would be better if he blamed himself, if only for something, instead of blaming the whole world. The question should be how we got here, not how they got there. When will we finally take responsibility for something? For what was done in our name? Over a hundred members of the Knesset signed a petition against Hague, and none against Israeli war crimes, because there was no such petition. The MPs are a poor confirmation of the state of the country: united against justice, united in the sense of eternal sacrifice, without right or left, a chorus of the righteous. If that day comes and Israel is convicted of war crimes, it should be remembered that 106 members of the Knesset voted to cover up the crimes of Binyamin Netanyahu and Yoav Galant.
The Gaza Strip was destroyed, and its inhabitants were killed, wounded, orphaned, and starved. They lost the whole world, and most of them were innocent. It is a war crime. Starvation in Israel is considered a legitimate measure by everyone, whether they are in favor of it or not, and so is mass murder with intent. How is it even possible to claim that there was no deliberate starvation or mass killing?
The day after The Hague, Israel should gather around the national questioning of the soul, which it has never done before. Every Israeli must ask himself: why did we get here. It is not enough to accuse Netanyahu, the main culprit, it is not enough to cover things up with exaggerated arguments about poor information of the world (hasbara) and radical statements of Israeli officials. The root is much deeper: for 57 years Israel has maintained an unjust and evil regime, and now the world has finally begun to wake up and act. Will he succeed in awakening at least some of the Israelis from their complacent and distorted sense of justice?
(Haaretz; Peščanik.net; translation from Hebrew: Alma Ferhat)
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