War in Gaza discussed at London event

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - Experts discussed Israel’s attacks on Gaza and the history of the conflict at an event in London late Monday.

Titled "The War on Gaza: What’s next for Palestine?," it was organized by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) amid ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

In his opening speech, ICJP Director Tayab Ali announced their new "Justice for Gaza" campaign and fundraising appeal.

Touching on the “hypocrisy” of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he said many politicians in the UK who don't condemn the Israeli attacks on Gaza actually encourage them by expressing their support.

"Legal language is very specific. Lawyers labor over every word we say. Sometimes people think we are speaking a different language. Political language is something else altogether. Political language has immediate power to change the direction of world events," he noted.

- 'Warrant for genocide'

In his keynote speech, Avi Shlaim, an expert on international relations at the University of Oxford, said the Palestinian resistance has been “decontextualized” and that Palestinians are engaged in a decolonial struggle.

Defining the Israeli occupation in 1967 as a "brutal occupation in modern times," he noted that during the time, Israel violated every single Egypt-brokered cease-fire.

He said Israel causes heavy damage to civilian infrastructure with its attacks and then “goes home and leaves the problem unresolved."

If Israel wants to protect its citizens, all it has to do is accept a cease-fire, he added.

Criticizing the current administration in Tel Aviv, Shlaim said it is the "most radical government in Israeli history."

Turning to the stance of Western countries on the conflict, he said the Western response to the crisis is the "usual hypocrisy and ruthless double standards," but this time it’s been taken to a new level.

"The US and UK are giving Israel not only moral but military support. What the US and UK are doing is giving Israel a warrant for genocide," he added.

Later, a panel was held where Shlaim was joined by Wadah Khanfar, president of the Al-Sharq Forum, Daniel Levy, a former Israeli negotiator of the Oslo Accords, and Yasmine Ahmed, the UK director of Human Rights Watch.

During the panel discussion, Khanfar spoke about a "shameless, explicit hypocrisy" from Western politicians.

"Every kind of mask has dropped. And we see the faces of these leaders in front of us, defending genocide, defending the evacuation of people," he said.

"It’s not just Palestinians. All over the world, the Global South has been reminded…of the humiliation by colonial powers.

"We have been going through a continuous Nakba," he added, referring to the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in 1948.

- 'Nothing justifies crimes'

Ahmed highlighted the importance of the context of the “crime of apartheid,” saying: "They are violently discriminating against Palestinians. This is not just in their acts, but this is a policy of Israel."

Stressing that nothing justifies crimes, regardless of whether they are committed by the Palestinian group Hamas or Israel, she noted that what's happening in Gaza now is happening in a context.

"The siege, the absolute siege of the people on Gaza -- no water, no food, no fuel, no electricity other than a little trickle -- is part of the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution," she said.

There is “systemic discrimination that Palestinians suffer across the occupied Palestinian territories and across Israel," she added.

Levy spoke of the failures of the West, which is constantly excusing Israel's crimes, likening the attitude to "the emperor's new clothes."

He touched on the ineffectiveness of the West in doing "anything to avoid Palestinian dispossession, denial of rights and statelessness."

Saying how the situation in Gaza is worsening, he said around 550 children have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the Russian war in February last year while more than 3,400 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip in three weeks.

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

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip has climbed to 8,306, the Health Ministry in the blockaded enclave said Monday.

“The fatalities include 3,457 children and 2,136 women, while more than 21,048 people were injured,” ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra told a news conference in Gaza City.

More than 1,538 Israelis have been killed in the conflict.