What We Think

Israel’s genocide exposes West’s lies

Activists must use international court rulings but hold no illusions of their intent

By Thomas Foster
Thursday 25 July 2024

SOCIALIST WOKER

Issue 2915

The International Court of Justice of the United Nations. The Hague, Holland.
(Picture: varfolomeev on Flickr)

The West presents itself as an upholder of international law, democracy and justice. Its support of Israel’s genocide exposes this as a lie.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled last week that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land is “illegal”, breaches laws of “apartheid” and international law.

But the United States and Europe haven’t stopped supporting—or arming—Israel’s genocide and apartheid regime, showing a deep hypocrisy.

Western countries often champion themselves as great bastion of freedom, battling on the global stage to uphold democracy.

For example, US president Joe Biden said at an international summit last year that he’s proud “to defend those fundamental values we all share—justice, the rule of law, assembly, freedom of press, freedom of religion”.

“And our core belief in the interest of human rights for every single individual in the world,” he went on. What about the rights of Palestinians? When Israel slaughters and starves Palestinians, where is this core belief?

Not only does the West continue to support Israel, but it enables it by sending huge amounts of weapons. Biden’s “core belief” is completely shallow.

All of the West’s talk about “defending democracy” is empty rhetoric used to justify its economic and military interests.

It’s because Israel defends and furthers those interests that Western imperialism will continue to support Israel regardless of the horrors it carries out.

In a global imperialist system of inter-state rivalry, the ruling classes in the West see holding onto power as far more important than the struggles of the Palestinians.

And the hypocrisy is on show when the US and Europe, while remaining silent about Israel’s apartheid regime, attack Russia for being dictatorial or China as being authoritarian.

The key difference is that these are imperialist states that oppose and threaten Western interests. When liberal democracies wage wars, it’s supposedly a selfless act of policing international law.

But wars waged by anyone opposing Western imperialism are criminal enterprises violating international law. This points to something more fundamental.

International law is largely a Western invention at the service of the US and its allies, acting as an instrument to justify their acts.

The ICJ ruling is an ideological defeat for Israel and its Western backers. It should make it harder for every university, company and state to dismiss opposition to Israel and its institutions.

We should use it in the fight to force the Labour government to stop all arms to Israel. And activists should use the ruling to expose the hypocrisy of the West and boost the struggle for Palestinian liberation.