While killing and mayhem is associated with acts of Terror, West seems to be stuck at 7the October 2023, for nothing prior or past seems to register in the mindset of US President Joe Biden or reflect in his Hitlerian Presidential Executive Orders regarding military aid to Israel and the same line of thought but with a different shade is trending among German Politicians who can’t get beyond their historical guilt so much so their Raison D’etre is to assert Israel’ s right even as it commits war crimes and genocide across Gaza strip.
All the world has delivered as they watch Israel display with pride their act of crime is express their concern, abhorrence, anger, all the words mean nothing to Israel which assumes impunity is its birthright. Israel gloats over its right to carry out war crimes and challenges the world with total confidence in their complete impunity as United States and Germany and others offer diplomatic cover and veto power. The only variation is that a handful of countries have translated their disgust into action and cut trade and diplomatic links with Israel.
Then comes the question, is UN and its organs aiding and abetting war crimes, for it cannot be that UN, the final place to call upon has only silence to deliver to Palestinians who are slaughtered with brutality which if inflicted even to a miniscule extent on animals in Europe will have people and groups up in arms ensuring speedy action. These are countries where there are rules of care to be ensured for animals taken for slaughter. Yet, UN and its Security Council is yet to make any sanction against Israel or those countries that are aiding and abetting war crimes.
Killing of 40,000 plus Palestinians only brings forth brutal responses such as Hamas are hiding within civilians, a logic that is not questioned even when kids are sniper shot, point blank by Israeli forces or when a child locked in a car crying for its mother and help are shot at close range, in spite of the full knowledge that target is a child locked in a car with only dead bodies for company. Yet, US President, US government representative, German leaders all like a stuck recorded message prevent Israel being held accountable and state it has the right for self-defence.
Maybe it is time to look at other aspects of acts of terror as defined by International Organs and US Domestic laws, since according to international documents in case of dispute on definition the domestic laws will make the final call.
Israel and Acts of Terror:
Within the context of acts of terror, is UN taking action against clear cut acts of terror carried out by Israel and which is supported and funded by US and Germany? While killing of civilians can create a long string of disputes be it so called collateral damage or technical error or human error or the most convenient of all used by Israel and repeated diligently by US, it was a Mistake.
Keeping aside killing and massacre, let’s consider another act of terror, which is acceptable to all, and mentioned in General Assembly Declaration of 1994 and Security Council Resolution 1566 in expressly referring to the property damage as part of criminal act.
Furthermore according to International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, Article (2) Any person commits an offence within the meaning of this convention if that person unlawfully and intentionally delivers, places, discharges, detonates an explosive or other lethal device in, into or against a place of public use, a State or government facility, a public transportation system or an infrastructure facility.
When Israeli forces use bulldozers and destroys roads and other public infrastructure including Mosques and services in occupied territory of Palestine, West Bank, it is a clear criminal act and a war crime and to be considered an Act of Terror by International and Domestic laws. Even the act of building the wall and thereby refusing services or making it difficult to access the same is an act of Terror, a systematically planned for systemic effect on Palestinians in West Bank.
Within US, the destruction of public is an act of terror, and most states have their own definition and provision. The Domestic Terrorism Offence in Illinois prohibits knowingly committing specified offence with intent to intimidate a significant portion of Civilian population. A specified offence includes an act that causes or creates a risk of death or great bodily harm to one or more persons, an act that disables usefulness of communication system; ... an act that disables and causes substantial damage to any facility used in connection with transportation.
Here it is clear by both International Law and Domestic Laws of US, the acts of Israeli forces in West Bank are terror acts and can be considered war crimes during “War or Onslaught”.
Financing or supporting Israel’s Acts of Terror by US and Germany
There is another line of terrorism control at the international and domestic level, which criminalises financing of terrorism in kind or otherwise. According to International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism of 1999, criminalization of terrorism financing is as follows:
1) Any person commits an offence within the meaning of this Convention if that person by any means directly or indirectly, unlawfully and wilfully, provide or collects funds with the intention that they should be used or in the knowledge that they are to be used, in full or in part, in order to carry out
a) An Act which constitutes an offence with the scope of and as defined in one of treaties regarding the issue.
b) Any other act intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to a civilization or to any other person not taking an active part in the hostilities in a situation of armed conflict, when the purpose of such act, by its nature or context is to intimidate a population or to compel a government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.
This text was reaffirmed by Security Council Resolution 1373 (2001) which called upon all States to “[b]ecome parties as soon as possible to the relevant International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.
The Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism entered into force on 10th April,2002.
As per domestic law within United States as directed through the Presidential Executive Order of then President Bush through his order 13224 on Sept 13, 2001. The order was seen as a powerful tool given to US Government to impede terrorist funding and is part of US natural commitment to bring a halt to the evil of terrorist activity.
According to the order, the term “person” means an individual or entity. An entity means a partnership, association, corporation, or other organizations, group or subgroup.
Further, according to the order “terrorism” means an activity that-
I) Involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, property or infrastructure and
II) it appears to be intended-
a) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population
b) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion or
c) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, kid napping or hostage taking.
Israel is carrying out mass destruction at present, and it is doing it in West Bank where Israel is an illegal occupier. Yet, no Western media is calling for accountability and President of United States seems to be in sweet slumber and German Leaders lost in their journey of Raison D'etre where Justice is an alien concept.
To emphasize domestic laws regarding destruction of property it may be useful to consider Criminal Resource Manual 1666 destruction government property, as per section protocol “any property” of the US or agency or department thereof, or any property being manufactured or constructed for the US or an agency or department thereof, from wilful depredation or attempted depredation. Here Depredation has been characterised as the act of plundering, robbing, pillaging or laying waste.
With regard to Israel, it is plundering after throwing actual owners out of their land, it is pillaging the homes and land and is laying to waste government property and public infrastructure.
Why the silence and Inaction:
Israel is clearly carrying out acts of terrorism within West Bank, it can do this because of the military aid provided by US, Germany and others which includes ammunition, tanks and missiles/bombs. It does not need much analysis to find out that US and Germany are the main players.
Why the Silence from UN that is supposed to stand for justice and act against war crimes and terror acts? All are eager to throw stones at a resistance group that has been watching in despair the plight of its people, while the occupying force carried on with its land grab, midnight STATE Hostage taking of Palestinian Children, illegal detention for years, torturing of Palestinians in Prisons with total impunity, why such injustice?
Why the silence even to call a spade a spade. Israeli forces that carry out acts of terror are terrorist agencies and State of Israel a Terrorist State.
Is the world waiting for death of all in Gaza for Justice to be delivered? Do remember as they say, “We will not forget, and We will not forgive”.
Never test anyone’s patience too long.
Visuals
Relevant Visuals from Anadolu Agency
Israeli army uses bulldozers to demolish infrastructure in Tulkarm, West Bank (youtube.com)
Reference
1. International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, 1997
2. International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, New York, 9th December 1999.
2. US President Executive Order 13224 on Sept 13, 2001.
https://www.State.gov/executiveorder-13224
or in case above link does not work try below link
4. State Domestic Terrorism Laws in the United States - ICNL
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