The end of the era of hypocrisy

We have long been accustomed to dealing with cohorts of hypocrites and practitioners of double standards in the Western political community. Nevertheless, the explosive intensification of the crisis in Gaza has once again revealed the depths of the decline of the US-EU establishment, which is sacrificing the last shred of its respectability right before our eyes and parting with its liberal image as “citizens of the world” concerned with human rights and the common good. Instead of working toward de-escalation and steering the process to a negotiating track, politicians, primarily from Anglo-Saxon countries (followed by others), have begun to support Israeli authorities in their more forceful actions against Palestinians.

Take, for example, one of the most influential Republican senators, Lindsey Graham, who openly urged Tel Aviv to “level the place.” Many of his colleagues expressed similar sentiments. Without a doubt, militaristic hysteria of such proportions can be accounted for by the influence of the pro-Israel lobby in Washington and the dependence of many lawmakers on the defence industry lobby that has a stake in ramping up military aid to Israel. However, the push to further escalate the conflict and to raise it to a new level is quite glaring. We believe that manipulating UN Charter principles in the process is absolutely unacceptable, especially as the United States and its satellites quite recently were conveniently using this trick to unilaterally and selectively leverage some of the UN Charter principles to promote their own interests. In his article “Adherence to the UN Charter principles in their entirety and interconnection underwrites international peace and stability” dated October 10, 2023 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accurately described this situation: “We are witnessing the emergence of a new and fairer multipolar order that reflects the world’s cultural and civilisational diversity. The future world is taking shape in the midst of a battle. The global majority, representing 85 percent of the world’s population, advocates a more equitable distribution of global resources and respect of cultural diversity, as well as consistent democratisation of international affairs. On the other hand, a select group of Western nations led by the United States is endeavouring to hinder progress through neo-colonial methods and to maintain its waning dominance.”

Importantly, we fully understand and share the sorrow of the Jewish people who endured a horrible tragedy on October 7. However, in a situation where many decisions are made emotionally, responsible global players should attempt to de-escalate the situation, rather than pit the sides against each other, particularly as  many members of the Israeli government are advocating the most drastic measures in a bid to take advantage of the situation for their own political gain. Radical members of Netanyahu cabinet such as Bezalel Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Yoav Galant have already made statements that can only be described as anti-human. Regardless of the outcome of the investigation into the tragedy at Al-Ahli Hospital, in the eyes of the “Arab street” Israel’s disproportionate retaliation has already overshadowed Hamas’ aggression which initially garnered strong widespread condemnation. An independent UN commission had earlier presented a report on investigating the events that unfolded in Israeli and Palestinian territories. It stated that Israel’s disproportionate strikes on Gaza from May 2021 to August 2023 constituted a war crime, and the ban on humanitarian aid to the region was a violation of international law.

At the same time, importantly, the West has all too willingly turned a blind eye to the suffering of civilians time and again, and is taking an extremely irresponsible approach to international crises. Corroborating examples abound: over the course of many years, Ukraine was essentially encouraged to carry out the relentless shelling of Donbass, to implement a water blockade of Crimea, and to stoke ethnic and religious hatred at the national level. As a result, our very own people were, in the span of a few years, conditioned for waging a fratricidal war. All of that was done in violation of Article 1, paragraph 3 of the UN Charter which relates to respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without regard to race, sex, language, or religion. A similar scenario is unfolding in the Israeli-Palestinian drama, where the language of hatred is pitted against common sense and dialogue.

An alternative to such policies is available and is increasingly gaining traction with the Global Majority. It consists of adhering to the letter of international law, including ensuring the right to self-determination for peoples, which applies to Crimea and Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson, and Palestine as well. The time has come to implement the UN resolution on the creation of a Palestinian state, the disregard of which by Israel – with clear Western support – has long been the source of numerous tragedies in the Middle East. However, following the current crisis, it will be important to investigate the war crimes committed by both sides since the need for justice is long overdue in this troubled region. We can only hope that the tragedy of Israel and Gaza will serve as an important lesson for the collective West that got entangled in its own games and machinations and is losing credibility with the Global South right before our eyes, which is increasingly turning to other intermediaries to resolve long-standing differences. The era of double standards that underpin the “rules-based order” is fading into the past.

During this year’s Valdai Club meeting, President Vladimir Putin stated it clearly: “Our objective is basically to build a new world.” “This does not mean starting from scratch and erasing everything created by our predecessors. The foundation for building a new world is in place, and it is strong. It is the UN Charter. Most importantly, we must do our best to prevent its destruction through the selective manipulation of its principles, and to ensure their full and interconnected implementation by all countries.”