The Israeli army has been striking civilians in Palestine for 48 days. According to publicly available data, nearly 14,000 civilians have lost their lives in Israel's attacks to date, with 5,600 of them being children.
The Israeli government justifies its aggression and blatant violations of international law and universal human rights by pointing to Hamas' targeting of civilians in the Oct. 7 attacks. The Israeli officials argue that their targeting of immune facilities such as hospitals, schools, churches and mosques is due to armed Hamas members "hiding among civilians and beneath hospitals."
Despite these claims, during the recent raid on Al-Shifa Hospital, where the Israeli army purportedly damaged medical equipment and fired indiscriminately, no evidence supporting these allegations has been shared with the public. Even if they were to find such evidence, it does not excuse targeting hospitals and ambulances containing civilians. This is not a unique situation to Gaza; in all wars, there may be individuals seeking refuge in hospitals. This possibility is inherent in the conflict, so rules have been established through international agreements: hospitals and ambulances, even if enemy soldiers are present, cannot be targeted.
Nevertheless, 195 healthcare personnel have lost their lives and 51 ambulances have been rendered unusable due to Israel's ongoing attacks. A staggering 130 healthcare facilities targeted by Israeli aircraft, coupled with 18 hospitals and 46 health centers grappling with fuel shortages, are now incapacitated.
Israel has undeniably etched itself into history with no discernible difference from the Nazis. The so-called "civilized" West, which remained silent in the face of the minimum rules of the new world order established after 1945 being violated and even supported Israel's crime, has now been certified as savage rather than civilized.
I, too, used to believe that institutions like the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) would contribute to the globalization of democracy.
Nevertheless, the court's poor performance over the last decade has unmistakably revealed its selective commitment to law, humanity and democracy based on the party involved.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, as people faced oppression through overt censorship, punitive measures and coerced treatments, the ECtHR chose to turn a blind eye to universal law. In the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, it displayed indifference to the anti-Russian sentiment sweeping through Europe and human rights violations, taking a clear stance. And now, it has abandoned Europeans who are daring to express "Palestine is right," threatened with fundamental human rights violations, leaving them isolated and vulnerable.
Peaceful demonstrations in support of Palestine are being banned and freedom of expression is under threat.
In the media, pens are being broken for criticizing the killing of civilians, with numerous instances of this censorship. Jazmine Hughes, a writer for The New York Times Magazine, was compelled to resign, alleging a violation of publishing policies, after endorsing a statement expressing support for Palestine. Just recently, TV5Monde channel terminated host Muhammed Kaci for asking Olivier Rafowicz, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson, "Does entering (Al-Shifa) Hospital align with international law and humanitarian principles according to you?"
It was once asserted that there are judges in Strasbourg; where are they now?
