As Israel terrorises Palestinians, the world looks away
Earlier this month, a special United Nations commission issued a report documenting Israel’s systematic use of sexual, reproductive and gender-based violence in the occupied Palestinian territories since 7 October 2023.
This comes as Israel has renewed its all-out war on Gaza after a few weeks of calm - the first phase of a now-discarded ceasefire agreement. The deal was meant to permanently end the violence, complete the exchange of Israeli and Palestinian captives, and oversee Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza. It has now been derailed.
Crimes involving sexual violence have been just one part of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of people and decimated more than 80 percent of the territory’s buildings.
A few days before the UN report came out, I watched the American documentary October 8, which cited allegations that Hamas committed sexual violence during its 2023 attack.
The film, which focuses primarily on antisemitism on US college campuses in the ensuing months, is undisguised propaganda. It endorses Israel’s goal of exterminating Hamas, including through combat tactics that are widely seen as genocidal, targeting Gaza’s entire civilian population.
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Yet there is no equivalence in the scope of the allegations of sexual violence by the two warring sides, nor in their documentation. October 8 references the events of a single day, while the UN commission covers the entire period since then. The first relies on largely unsubstantiated Israeli accusations, while the second stems from a diligent and objective evidence-gathering process that was largely ignored in the West.
Indeed, access to information about Israeli criminality is filtered in the West by systemic self-censorship, undoubtedly induced - at least indirectly - by the broadly pro-Israel allegiances of western governments.
Media bias
While 8 October was shown in 100 theatres across the US, despite being undisguised state propaganda, the more artistically motivated and dramatically enacted No Other Land was denied distribution in the country - even though it won an Oscar, the industry’s highest acclaim.
The bias extends to television and print platforms, which is why the media took little notice of the UN’s reliably documented account of the systematic sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees, while according prominence to unverified accounts of the mistreatment of Israeli hostages.
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These double standards in public discourse are often fuelled by western political leaders who parrot Israeli state propaganda and enforce strict curbs on pro-Palestinian expression and protest. This biased atmosphere helps us to understand why there is such a knowledge and awareness gap when it comes to Israeli criminality.
Under international law, Israel is an occupying power, and as such it is obliged by the Fourth Geneva Convention to protect the civilian population under its control.
This dehumanisation of the Palestinian people is closely linked with Israel's overt plan to forcibly transfer Gaza's civilian population
The convention stipulates that civilians “shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any similar criteria”. It specifically prohibits sexual violence and “mass forcible transfers” of an occupied population.
Israel’s mistreatment of Palestinians in the occupied territories stands in flagrant disregard of these intentional legal obligations. In Gaza, Israel’s principal goal is to terrorise Palestinians, pushing them to leave their homes or face near-certain death.
Israel’s motives are no longer couched in the language of security, but are now openly territorial.
From the outset of its occupation of Gaza and the West Bank in 1967, Israel has defied international humanitarian law in numerous ways. This was amply documented in a near-unanimous advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2024, which addressed only the pre-7 October violations.
Significantly, the ICJ concluded that Israel has so fundamentally violated the Geneva Conventions that its occupation is thus unlawful, putting the UN and member states under an obligation to act accordingly.
Sadistic abuses
As Israel’s genocidal assault on Gaza has continued month after month, the UN has noted a deliberate effort by the state to target Palestinian civilians.
This has been exhibited through Israel’s frequent bombing of residential structures and neighbourhoods, and its reliance on high-yield explosives, making it difficult for civilians to seek refuge. These combat patterns have led to a disproportionate number of women and children dying.
On the ground, Israeli forces are given carte blanche to carry out sadistic abuses of men and women, including prolonged and abusive strip-searching, coercive interrogation, torture, and a variety of humiliating and harassing practices that enjoy tacit government approval.
Israel’s toleration of sexual violence against Palestinians, as described in this month’s UN report, has been shocking, with top officials either dismissing such allegations as antisemitism, or suggesting the abuse was justifiable retribution for the 7 October Hamas attack.
The UN report notes: “The statements and actions by political and civic leaders and the lack of effectiveness of the military judicial system send a clear message to [Israeli forces] that they can continue committing such acts without fear of accountability.”
This report makes a convincing case that sexual violence has been not only tolerated, but encouraged by top Israeli officials. This dehumanisation of the Palestinian people is closely linked with Israel’s overt plan to forcibly transfer Gaza’s civilian population - not for reasons of security, but to fulfil the Zionist mission of clearing the way for the establishment of Greater Israel as a Jewish supremacist state.
The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.
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