Gaza, Ukraine wars show US double standards

By Muhammet Torunlu

American officials’ positions are contradictory regarding targeting hospitals, infrastructure, civilians and journalists during the Russian-Ukrainian war and the war that Israel is waging on the blocked Gaza Strip.

While US government officials do not hesitate to accuse, condemn and besiege Russia by imposing harsh sanctions because of Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, they take the opposite position regarding Israeli attacks on Gaza.

American officials make statements that implicitly suggest they view Israeli attacks as “legitimate acts,” without a single condemnation.

Although the number of civilian casualties in Israel's bombing of the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist Hospital in northern Gaza was much greater than losses in Russia's targeting of the Maternity Hospital in Mariupol on March 9, 2022, the US administration did not show the same harsh reaction toward Tel Aviv, when compared to Russia.

The US even neglected to hold Israel responsible for the hospital bombing.

Commenting on the targeting of the hospital in Mariupol, US President Joe Biden said the attack was an “injustice” and a “disgrace to the entire world.”

“The whole world is united to support Ukraine and make Russian President Vladimir Putin pay a heavy price,” he said.

But after the attack on the hospital in Gaza, Biden said he was “deeply saddened by the explosion" at the facility.

"Based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you," Biden said at a news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, evidently referring to Israeli claims that Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian group with similar aims as Hamas, was responsible.

Biden described what happened in Ukraine as “genocide,” but deferred to reporters when asked about the Israeli war.

He described mass graves found in the Bucha region of Ukraine as "genocide" in a speech at a rally on April 12, 2022.

After the rally, a journalist asked: “Mr. president, have you seen enough evidence to declare genocide in Ukraine?”

His response: “I called it genocide because it's become clearer and clearer that (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is just trying to wipe out even the idea of being Ukrainian. The evidence is mounting.”

“We'll let the lawyers decide, internationally, whether or not it qualifies," he added, "but it sure seems that way to me."

Upon his return from his visit to Tel Aviv following the attack on Gaza, a journalist asked whether the Israelis were acting within the framework of the law of war. Biden, ignoring the question, said: “It was nice to talk to all of you,” then he turned his back and left.

The Israeli army has widened its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since the surprise offensive by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

“The death toll as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 is 9,500, including 3,900 children and 2,509 women,” Salama Marouf, the head of the Gaza Media Office, said at a news conference.

Nearly 1,540 Israelis have been killed.

- Blinken is silent

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken remained silent about the Israeli attack on the Al-Ahli Arabi Baptist hospital in Gaza, but in comments about Russia targeting the Mariupol Hospital, he confirmed that Moscow is “targeting theaters and hospitals.”

He confirmed that Biden believes “war crimes are being committed in Ukraine,” and “I agree with him on that,” he said.

“Deliberately targeting civilians is a war crime,” he said.

On the other hand, Blinken avoided condemning the attack on the Gaza hospital and did not issue a statement on the matter.

In a news conference on Oct. 20, Blinken did not address the issue of “war crimes” regarding civilians who died in the region and only held Hamas responsible for the deaths of civilians killed in Israeli attacks.

On Nov. 30, 2022, Blinken said: Vladimir Putin had focused "his ire and his fire" on Ukraine's civilian population.

"Heat, water, electricity, these are President Putin's new targets. He's hitting them hard. This brutalization of Ukraine's people is barbaric," he said following a two-day NATO summit.

"Our collective result to support Ukraine is and will continue to be ironclad. Now, throughout the winter, and for as long as it takes for Ukraine to succeed," he added.

In contrast, during a visit to Qatar on Oct. 13, Blinken avoided mentioning Israel's cutting off of electricity, fuel and water from Gaza.

He held Hamas responsible for Israel's targeting infrastructure in the Strip, and accused it of "using civilians as human shields."

- White House blames Hamas

White House officials have taken differing positions on attacks on hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza.

Regarding the bombing of the Mariupol Hospital, White House spokeswoman at the time, Jen Psaki, described the Russian bombing as “terrifying” and “barbaric,” and indicated it constituted a “war crime.”

However, regarding the bombing of the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, no condemnation was issued by White House officials.

White House National Council spokeswoman, Adrienne Watson, merely said information they have indicates that “Israel is not responsible for the attack on the hospital.”

- Conflicting comments on killing of journalists

A clear difference emerged in the response of US officials to Russia and Israel regarding the targeting of journalists.

Following the killing of American journalist Brent Renaud in Ukraine, then-US State Department spokesman Ned Price said: “We are horrified that journalists and filmmakers -- noncombatants -- have been killed and injured in Ukraine by Kremlin forces.”

But current spokesman, Matthew Miller, did not condemn Israel for the killing of 36 journalists to date as a result of Israeli bombing.

In a news conference on Oct. 26, Miller simply stressed that “the United States government pays special respect to journalists who put themselves in harm’s way to let the world know what is happening and to bring information to the world.”

“So obviously we mourn the death of those journalists. It is a great tragedy,” he added.

Reporters Without Borders announced that ballistic analysis of the incident in which Reuters photographer Issam Abdullah was killed on the Lebanese-Israeli border showed there had been a "deliberate attack" by Israel, however, this did not attract any American condemnation.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi