The prime minister of a state accused of committing genocide in Gaza was applauded 79 times, 58 of which were standing ovations, by the U.S. Congress.
The applause for a leader who has officially killed over 39,000 people since Oct. 7 has gone down in history as a significant stain on humanity for those applauding.
Just as those who applauded Adolf Hitler in the past are seen as accomplices to genocide, those who applauded Benjamin Netanyahu, whose genocidal crimes have been acknowledged by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), will be regarded as accomplices to this genocide. From now on, photos of those who applauded Hitler will be placed alongside those who applauded Netanyahu.
Turning a blind eye to all moral, conscientious and humane values to line up and shake hands with Netanyahu while the systematic killing and starvation of the Palestinian people continue is not an act that history will forget.
Watching these images can lead to despair for the future of humanity. However, knowing that Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American representative in the U.S. Congress, held a sign declaring Netanyahu a war criminal within Congress itself slightly alleviates this despair by showing that the world’s conscience is represented.
Israel's massacres, as evidenced by the U.N. General Assembly, the Human Rights Council's decisions and the ICJ ruling, a truly independent and impartial international judiciary, have clearly shown that Israel has violated international law, committed acts contrary to human rights, and engaged in behavior unbecoming of human dignity.
The ICJ prosecutor has requested the arrest of Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Despite all these international legal decisions, Netanyahu's invitation to the U.S. Congress has driven the final nail into the coffin of already dysfunctional international law and institutions. The invitation of a war criminal further proves that the U.S. administration has openly supported the ongoing genocide in Gaza since Oct. 7.
Members of the U.S. Congress who applauded Netanyahu encouraged a genocidal state leader to continue his massacres and promoted the commission of all his war crimes. This support and encouragement are clear acts of legitimizing genocide and the genocidal.
The West has so far portrayed concepts like democracy, human rights and justice as its achievements. Although these achievements belong to humanity, the administrations of Western countries have trampled on all of them again.
The long-standing internal debate in the U.S. about Israel holding American politics hostage has been confirmed by the recent invitation and applause for Netanyahu, which shows that this assessment is undeniably true. The latest invitation and the applause for Netanyahu have demonstrated that the U.S. is willing to sacrifice its values, ignore its achievements and trample on the law for the sake of Israel.
History has often not flowed in the direction desired by those who harm humanity. The understanding and approach that continue to protect Israel will not make the world a more livable or safe place.
The support of conscientious people worldwide for the Palestinian people offers hope for the future. Those who applaud and protect the crime of genocide and its perpetrators will be forever condemned in the conscience of humanity.
