US ceasefire veto inflamed ‘Israel’s’ disregard of int’l law: Amnesty

Amnesty International warns that the world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid what it calls “flagrant” rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism, and colossal rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Myanmar.

The rights organization in its annual report published Wednesday said that mighty governments like the US have been disregarding international rules and values established in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with civilians bearing the brunt of the consequences.

According to Agnes Callamard, Amnesty’s Secretary-General, the extent of the breach of international order over the last year has been “unprecedented”.

Callamard expressed that “Israel’s flagrant disregard for international law is compounded by the failures of its allies to stop the indescribable civilian bloodshed meted out in Gaza,” adding that “many of those allies were the very architects of that post-World War II system of law.”

Read more: War on Gaza resulted in worst food crisis ever recorded: IPC analysis

The study accuses the US of failing to condemn Israeli human rights breaches and of using its veto power to stall a UN Security Council resolution on a ceasefire in Gaza. 

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, compared yesterday between Gaza now and Germany during World War II, saying that “Israel” has exposed areas in the Gaza Strip to greater destruction than that dealt to cities in Germany back in the 1940s. 

During his speech at a plenary session of the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg, Borrell cited the climbing casualties of the war on Gaza, saying, “I can say that more than 60% of the physical infrastructure has been damaged, and 35% fully destroyed.”

“The cities in Gaza have been more destroyed than the German cities during the Second World War – just imagine the comparison,” he noted, highlighting the “killing of 249 humanitarian workers and around 100 journalists in Israeli attacks on Gaza.”

It has been confirmed by the Palestinian Journalists’ Syndicate (PJS) that at least 140 journalists in Gaza have been killed since October 7.

According to Paul O’Brien, another Amnesty official, the organization’s research indicates that Israeli occupation forces (IOF) are committing war crimes in Gaza with US-made weapons.

Our research shows that Israeli forces are committing #WarCrimesagainst Palestinians in #Gaza using US-made munitions. That’s why we have been calling on the US to stop sending #weaponsforwarcrimes.
THANK YOU to the 37 members of Congress who voted NO on the Israel arms bill. 👇

— Paul O’Brien (@dpaulobrien) April 23, 2024

Amnesty exposes US, UK complicity in torture-ridden SDF camps

Amnesty exposed in a new report the involvement of the US and the UK in detaining thousands, including British citizens, in camps and facilities controlled by the US-backed SDF in northeastern Syria, where disease, torture, and mortality rates are near-unprecedented.

The report indicates that the Western-backed SDF is accountable for widespread human rights abuses against individuals detained since the conclusion of the ground war against the Islamic State (IS) over five years ago.

As per the report, among the 56,000 detainees are 30,000 children and 14,500 women, along with over 20 UK nationals. Additionally, individuals who have been deprived of their British citizenship are included, notably Shamima Begum, who was 15 years old when she left East London to join the IS and is currently located in the Roj camp.

In further detail, the report reveals that the United Kingdom has allocated more than £15 million to support the enlargement of a significant detention facility operated by the SDF, known as
?:”Panorama. This facility detains males, including boys, who are reported to be suffering from inadequate access to food and medical care, leading to a rise in illnesses and diseases. Amnesty highlights a distressing tuberculosis outbreak within the facility, with one to two deaths occurring each week as a result.