In 2014, when the Israeli occupation launched its large-scale war on the occupied Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu likened the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement Hamas to the Western-backed terrorist group Daesh.
Not only myself, but also tens of writers and intellectuals responded to him. They refuted his claim, which he used to justify his crimes in Gaza, as there had been international consensus on branding Daesh as terrorism.
Years passed, and Daesh has almost disappeared. Its brutal attacks vanished, but Netanyahu, not the Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas, has proved that he was more brutal than Daesh.
In every war or conflict, wherever it is, there are civilian casualties, including women and children who are accidentally wounded or killed, but targeting civilians intentionally the way the Israeli occupation has been doing has never previously happened.
During the ongoing brutal Israeli war in Gaza, even biased mass media, rights groups and international organizations have investigated numerous lethal attacks and proven that Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians are intentional.
At the same time, these sides have investigated the alleged Israeli claims that the Palestinian resistance committed sexual abuses against Israeli women, including rape, the beheading of children and mistreatment of prisoners.
They found all of these claims to be untrue. Many international leaders have withdrawn their remarks on these claims, and mass media outlets have unpublished reports about them. In addition, many have published reports proving the opposite.
Many released Israeli prisoners refuted Israeli claims about mistreatment by the Palestinian resistance. They even praised them, admiring their manners and the caring treatment of their children and pets.
The Daesh-like state prevented its citizens from speaking to the media and asked other countries where the released prisoners held passports to suppress them in order not to spread the truth about the Palestinian resistance.
After the similarities between the Israeli occupation state and Daesh became apparent, the United Nations (UN) added it to the same blacklist —The list of shame.
Adding the Israeli occupation to this list came after the UN had credible evidence that the Israeli occupation army was using large-scale bombings in built-up areas, imposing a severe blockade on Gaza, recruiting minor informants and attacking critical humanitarian infrastructure, including UN facilities, schools, hospitals and water and sanitation installations.
Adding the Israeli occupation to this list after its violations had been investigated by neutral parties means that the violations of the occupation state against the Palestinians would be underscored by international groups and official bodies that will lead to UN Security Council resolutions related to arms embargoes and other restrictions.
It will also fuel isolation initiatives such as boycotts, delegitimization, divestment, trade disruptions and suspension of educational projects and cooperation.
Above all this, adding the Israeli occupation army to this list proves to everyone that Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders are liars and their claims that their army is the most moral in the world are false.
-Motasem A Dalloul is MEMO’s correspondent in the Gaza Strip.
