By Md. Zillur Rahaman

December 10 is celebrated as World Human Rights Day. On December 10, 1948, a charter was adopted by the United Nations (UN) in Paris setting a common standard for the protection of human rights across the globe. This charter is considered as a global human rights protection and so far 192 countries of the UN members have declared solidarity with this charter. Essentially, human rights are a set of statutory laws or norms that govern the conduct and special characteristics of members of the human race and are protected by local and international bodies of law that are considered as an integral part of fundamental rights. In other words, the rights of people recognized by the constitution of the state to go about their daily life are called human rights.

Ironically, Israel declared independence on May 14, 1948, the same year as the Charter of Human Rights adopted. Israel is considered to be a sudden landlocked country in the Middle East. The state is the result of an Anglo-American conspiracy and is seen by many as an illegitimate state that has flown in. In 1948, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted Resolution 181 regarding the partition of the Palestinian Territory. The UN decided to divide Palestine into 45 percent and leave the remaining 55 percent to the Zionists. The Arabs, including the Palestinians, have opposed this proposal since the beginning.

Early in the establishment of the State of Israel, Israeli leaders expressed ideologically anti-apartheid positions. In 1963, Israeli Foreign Minister (later Prime Minister) Golda Meir told a session of the UNGA that Israelis are generally against apartheid policies, colonialism, racism and religious discrimination wherever they exist. But their masks were exposed after the war of 1967. In just six days of war, they captured large areas of neighboring Arab countries.

The size of their country tripled compared to six days ago. After that war settlement projects were launched across the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Since then, Israel has been subjected to aggressive occupation and colonial mentality. Then in 1973, the Yom Kippur War was led by Egypt and Syria. But Israel came back to fight in this war and occupied more Arab lands and appeared before the world as an oppressive state. Since then, the oppressive state continues to violate human rights in the form of killing and torture.

The Zionist state has always violated human rights with the support of the world's most influential countries, including the United States and its allies Europe. The US has sided with the country in recent Israeli massacres, and so have its Western media and allies. Warlord Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, known as the butcher of the Middle East, has indulged in a massacre in Gaza, Palestine. Despite the global storm of protest and condemnation, it is not heeded at all. The death toll from the Israeli genocide in the Palestinian territory of Gaza has already exceeded 16,200 and at least 43,500 have been injured. Almost half of the victims were children. According to the latest information from Gaza's public relations department, at least 16,248 people were killed in the Israeli attack. Among the victims, 7,112 children and 4,885 women.

In addition, about 7,600 people are still missing or buried under the rubble of the attack. UNICEF says at least one bomb is being dropped every 10 minutes. Not a single place in Gaza is safe. Gaza's health ministry says hospitals have been flooded with bodies in the last four days of brutal attacks. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it has expanded its offensive across Gaza to destroy Hamas bases in Gaza. Israel's defense minister said the Israeli army will attack all of Gaza City and the northern part of the Gaza Strip until all Hamas infrastructure is completely destroyed.

According to the Geneva Convention, attacks on religious institutions, educational institutions and other civilian establishments are strictly prohibited. But Israel says Hamas fighters are sheltering in or around the buildings, that is why the Israeli forces have made these buildings targets and committed genocide. The Israeli army has completely wiped out 908 families in Gaza, meaning that no members of these families who were victims of Israeli brutality are left alive. About 85 government buildings were destroyed in the attack by the Israeli forces. Besides, 47 mosques, 3 churches have also been destroyed. Out of 2 lakh residential buildings destroyed or damaged, 32 thousand are uninhabitable, 203 schools were damaged in the Israeli attack. Out of these 45 schools are no longer able to run any kind of activities.

Not only that, but this time, the barbaric Israeli army entered Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza on November 15 and committed a massacre! Patients, women and newborn children were not spared from them. However, it has been published in the global media that the United States has encouraged and patronised Israel to carry out this attack. The charity organisation "Save the Children" says a child dies every 10 minutes in Gaza. Also, one out of every three people injured is a child.

Meanwhile, according to the UN, nearly 9,700 civilians have died since Russia's full-scale military operation in Ukraine began 21 months ago. As it turns out, Israel has killed more Palestinian civilians in this month than Russia has killed in Ukraine since February 2022. In total, at least 2.3 million people in Gaza are facing an extreme humanitarian crisis. The UN says no place in Gaza is safe, even as everyone moves south to escape the brutal, infernal massacres and destruction.

In a statement, Hamas said occupying power Israel had completely destroyed 41,000 housing units in the besieged Gaza. Initial damage to housing and infrastructure is estimated at two billion US dollars. In addition, 1.5 million Palestinians have been displaced to escape Israeli attacks. Israel has dropped 32,000 tons of bombs on the besieged Gaza Strip of Palestine in the first 35-day conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has been reported by global media.

According to information released by the Gaza Public Relations Department on October 30, Israel dropped more than 18,000 tons of bombs in the besieged Gaza in the first 24 days. According to that, Israel dropped an average of at least 50 tons or 50,000 kg of explosives per square kilometer of Gaza in just 24 days. This amount of explosives is capable of causing at least one and a half times more damage than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan during World War II.

Moreover, Israeli forces dropped at least 12,000 tons of bombs on Gaza from October 23 to 30. That is almost equal to the damage caused by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. Tel Aviv has dropped at least 40,000 tons of bombs on Gaza in the past month, most of which the Palestinian Authority claims are US-made MK-80s. The US has been using these bombs since the Vietnam War. Its weight ranges from 120 kg to 1000 kg. In addition, most of the fighter jets used in the attack were also supplied by the United States. Israel has already acknowledged receiving 40 F-35 fighters out of the 75 promised from the ally.

Regarding the sudden attack that Hamas launched on Israel on October 7, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a session of the Security Council that Hamas's attack did not come from scratch. The people of Palestine have suffered 75 years of suffocating occupation. They have seen their land turned into settlements and plagued by violence, their economy has stalled, residents were displaced and their homes destroyed. The hope of a political solution to their plight has been dashed. On the other hand, Russia's ambassador to the UN said that Israel, being an occupying power, has no right to defend itself. The only thing they can do is keep Israel talking about self-defense. However, according to the expert opinion of the International Court of Justice in 2004, Israel as an occupying power does not have the right to defend itself.

It is surprising that the United States, which accuses many countries of the world of human rights violations, gives advice and reminds people about democracy and human rights, now patronised and advocating Israel instead of condemning the indiscriminate killing of innocent people in Palestine by shooting up innocent people as like birds and dropping bombs from airplanes. The UN has given initial instructions to both sides to remain calm and it seems that it is their final decision. Barbaric Israel doesn't care much what the reality is! They continue to kill unarmed and innocent Palestinians and destroy various structures by shooting and airstrikes. Their indifference to such barbaric attacks on unarmed Palestinians has shocked the world.

Such brutality is considered incredible in this age. Israel and its close ally America are paying no heed to the protests around the world. The hellish genocide that Israel is carrying out on unarmed people, including women and children, is due to the connivance of its allies, including the United States and Europe. Most of the Western media are following the same policy. Their allies and puppet human rights organizations are pretending not to see the barbarity of Israel, their conscience and the true nature of so-called human rights is now being exposed! Their conscience is now troubled by the song of genocide, the speech of so-called human rights is nothing but a bully doll!!

The writer is a Banker and Columnist