Israel and Biden have no right to redefine genocide

The pictures of emaciated and scrawny newborns and toddlers in Gaza's hospitals, as circulated by the media, are outrageously nightmarish. A disturbing sight of the babies and children in intensive care units (ICUs) or on beds in general wards, it is sure to prove overwhelming for anyone's but some leading world politicians' conscience. The perpetrators of this crime against innocent children and those powerful politicians find themselves in a league of their own, committing a crime of the modern version of Hitler's holocaust. Since October 27 last, 11,500 Palestinian children have perished in the genocidal attacks on civilian population in the Gaza strip, according the latest estimate available on February 2 last. About 8,000 women also lost their lives. The number of children and women killed may have gone up by almost a thousand each now.
To say this is an affront to human civilisation is an understatement. The world seems to be devoid of conscience or those not crying hoarse over defending democratic values and principles, human rights and justice but still feel compassion for the wretched, the miserable raise their timid voice against such devilish acts. While the rest of the world stands silent spectators to the carnage and humanitarian disaster in the Gaza strip, South Africa takes Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Before this Gambia, another African nation, also moved to the ICJ with the mission of protecting the Rohingya against genocidal pogrom launched by the Myanmar junta. The moves by South Africa and Gambia expose the international power players' charlatanism and moral bankruptcy.
Even the word genocide cannot quite express the helplessness of civilian Palestinians including patients and pregnant women at their advanced stage in the face of unremitting horror, mindless brutality and insanity. When Israeli troops attack and ransack hospitals, bomb Palestinians gathered to receive relief goods in refugee camps, this is worse than genocide. The sight of newborns and toddlers being rushed to other hospitals with oxygen masks and saline tube still dangling is nerve-racking.
To think that such sinister acts can go on with unequivocal support from the leader of the world's most powerful nation, one cannot help feeling a sense of nausea. Indeed, US President Joe Biden stands accused of lending moral (read immoral) and material support to Israel even though its bombing and shelling and shooting have almost exterminated a generation of Palestinians on their own soil. When one in a hundred of a small population gets killed and the overwhelming proportion is children, there is sure to be a generation gap in its demography. Yet to the majority of the Israeli Jews and their patron Biden, this is no genocide and would not give in to the intense world pressure and demand for an immediate ceasefire.
Possibly, Biden would not mind going down in history as a devil incarnation or he would have felt the pricks of conscience by the sight of scores of children getting killed almost routinely or the survivors searching for a morsel of food or others agonising on hospital beds with severe wounds or disease caused by extreme malnutrition. Many of the babies saw the light of day only to die before knowing what it means to be blessed with a life on this planet.
If this is no genocide, what else is? Yet it is Biden who stands between a truce and perpetration of Israeli genocide, between death and life for the Palestinians, particularly their children and women. His administration has vetoed the UN resolution for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza for the third time---the latest one moved by Algeria on behalf of the Arab Group on February 20 last. The resolution legitimately took its stand against forced displacement of the Palestinians and called for unconditional and unhindered access of humanitarian aid and assistance to Gaza.
President Biden would rather help perpetuate the conflict and therefore pretended a few days ago that his officials were on the verge of brokering a ceasefire deal before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. This has not come about. Biden has now ordered airdropping of relief materials in Gaza. What a futile attempt to conceal his diabolic role in the current Gaza carnage! Without continuous supply of arms and ammunition, Israel could not make its murderous campaign in Gaza this effective, efficient and deadly. Already the Biden administration has sent killing machines without approval by the Congress on two occasions and the next batch is in the pipeline. This time, it will send MK-82 bombs, KMU-572 Joint Direct Attack Munitions and FMU-139 bomb fuses ---all of which is likely to be used against civilian population in Gaza.
Whether America's cohorts in the West have changed their minds about the Gaza crisis is unclear but they are not supporting Biden in public right now. However, the veto power is enough for Biden to thwart any decision in favour of enforcing a ceasefire in Gaza. There is an overwhelming need for ending any irrational, biased and motivated exercise of veto because it can make or unmake a people. Let the unanimous decision of the majority --- even if it is more than three-fourths of the UN member states---prevail upon any such abuse of veto. In the process, the weak-kneed UN will also gain some required power to bring in order and peace in international disputes.

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