Israel, a criminal state against the people and against peace

While it continues its genocidal enterprise against the population of Gaza, causing more victims and injuries every day, systematically destroying the places where the population can still find temporary refuge between two orders of forced displacement, the Israeli government decides to extend its strikes to neighboring countries. This is not the first time that, despite all the rules of international law, this criminal government has allowed itself to bomb Syria, Lebanon, Iraq or Iran. In fact, well before October 7, Israel has never stopped its retaliatory operations, its targeted assassinations of Palestinian or Lebanese leaders. And it is the total impunity granted by its North American and European allies that allows it to do so. Impunity confirmed during his last visit to Washington. With each of his acts of war since October 7, fears of an extension to Lebanon and a generalized conflict in the region are expressed in all chancelleries. 

But in fact, the regional war is already a reality that has caused more than 450 victims in southern Lebanon and nearly 1,800 wounded. And what is most to be feared today is Netanyahu's obvious desire to further expand the regional theater of war in the Middle East and in particular to compromise Iran there. A regional conflict would allow him to push the genocide in Gaza into the background and to mask Israel's inability to overcome Hamas. But also to make invisible the ongoing annexation of the West Bank while the International Court of Justice has just ruled that Israel must end the occupation and colonization of the occupied Palestinian territory. An extension of the war would also allow him to politically close ranks in Israeli society around his far-right government in order to silence those who demonstrate more and more massively each week to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages still held by Palestinian armed groups. 

This warlike logic has just been confirmed by two Israeli attacks carried out on the southern suburbs of Beirut and on the Iranian capital. In Beirut, it was a commander of the Lebanese Hezbollah, Fouad Chokr, who was targeted, accused by Israel of being responsible for the deadly shooting that killed 12 young Druze while they were playing football last Saturday. The Israeli attack on Beirut left three victims and injured more than 70 people, even though Hezbollah's responsibility for the massacre of children from the Druze community of Majdal Shams remains questionable. Once again, the Israeli narrative was taken up by the United States and the major Western media without any international investigation being opened and was used to justify a deadly attack in the heart of the Lebanese capital without any international condemnation. 

A few hours later, in Tehran, it was the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, who was the victim of a missile while he was visiting for the inauguration of the new Iranian president. Ismail Haniyeh had long been a target claimed by the Israeli authorities. Before him, they assassinated three of his sons and several of his grandchildren. Ismail Haniyeh was the chief negotiator for his movement in discussions on a possible ceasefire in Gaza and prisoner exchanges. The new timetable for these negotiations had just been set, in particular at the request of the United States. 

Once again Netanyahu has proven that he does not want to hear about a truce, much less a ceasefire, otherwise how can we understand that he is ordering the assassination of the main Palestinian interlocutor today? These new war crimes occur in a tense Israeli political context where we have just witnessed the astonishing spectacle of deputies debating in the Knesset to know if it is legitimate to torture and rape Palestinian prisoners! While ministers are leading a far-right demonstration to prevent the military authorities from handing over to justice the torturer soldiers suspected of having committed these war crimes. Meanwhile in Paris, like President Macron, some would have us believe in the existence of an Olympic truce. 

A useful illusion to mask the whitewashing of the crimes of the Israeli occupation and colonization against the Palestinian people by the presence of Israeli athlete-soldiers. What more can be said about the presence of Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Paris? The one who said "there are no innocents in Gaza" was nevertheless the privileged guest of the French President.

Emmanuel Macron, who during his last televised intervention deemed it necessary to reaffirm "Israel's right to defend itself". It is the complicity of his North American and European allies that allows Netanyahu to pursue his appalling policy of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Only the end of Israel's impunity can give hope for an end to this regional war. The AFPS recalls the absolute necessity of an immediate and permanent ceasefire and of a mobilization in solidarity with the Palestinian people and all the peoples who are victims of this headlong rush by Israel towards a generalized conflagration of the region.