MUST BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY: – Although accusations of double standards can often be exaggerations or propaganda attacks against the West, this time they have resonated with many who are not usually anti-Western, writes Sylo Taraku. Picture is from a pro-Palestinian march in Paris on 13 January. Photo: MOHAMMED BADRA / EPA / NTB
No matter how much there is in the criticism of the West for double standards, we must take this criticism seriously.
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SYLO TARAKU, author and political scientist in Thoughtsmien Agenda
In an interview with Al Jazeera, EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell was asked if Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza.
He replied that he is not a lawyer, but that this had to be investigated further. But when asked about Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, he was quick to confirm that it was a war crime.
This led to accusations of double standards, and the video has been shared virally in the Middle East and among Palestine activists in the West.
There are many such videos that are shared and which put Western politicians in a bad light.
Several of the videos are debatable, but the question is why is the West being accused of double standards in connection with the Gaza war? And what is the consequence of this for the West’s influence globally and for the integration of Muslims here at home?
Sylo Taraku. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB
A common counterargument against accusations of Western double standards is to point to authoritarian regimes that are far worse in this area. For example, that Muslim countries can be hostile to what they call “Islamophobia” in Western countries while at the same time ignoring the systematic persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China.
This objection has a lot to offer, but authoritarian regimes engage in classic realpolitik. When they first raise human rights issues, their credibility is very low as they are expected to sweep their own front door first.
It becomes ironic when, for example, Iran has to lecture other countries on equality issues during meetings of the UN Human Rights Council.
Western countries, on the other hand, tend to justify their realpolitik with moral arguments.
Even the USA’s illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003, which cost hundreds of thousands of lives, was partly justified by the desire to promote democratization in the Middle East.
Moreover, the West often pursues a real idealistic foreign policy with a clear emphasis on human rights. Therefore, expectations become higher, and the disappointment all the greater when Western reactions to serious abuses against Palestinians are relatively mild.
A clear example of this is when Western countries vote against or abstain from voting for demands for a temporary humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza at the UN. A similar humanitarian disaster elsewhere, with thousands of children killed, would have triggered strong reactions and condemnation from Western countries.
The voting in the UN can be explained on an individual basis for each country, but many try to come up with general interpretations of the West’s reaction pattern.
Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is one of them. During a speech in the Turkish parliament, he stated that Turkey has no debt to the Jews, therefore the country can be clear in its criticism of Israel.
According to Erdogan, the West shows restraint towards Israel because they have a sense of guilt linked to the treatment of Jews during the Second World War. In this way, Erdogan suggests that today the Palestinians are paying the price for this historical burden in Europe.
While it is true that European countries have a sense of guilt, they also have a deeper understanding of the Jewish experience after the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023 than Erdogan and many other world leaders seem to have.
This attack was the most traumatic the Jews have experienced since the Holocaust. One of the main reasons for the establishment of the state of Israel was precisely to give the Jews a safe home after all the persecution they have experienced throughout history and which culminated in the Holocaust.
The photo is from a protest action in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. Photo: Tatan Syuflana / AP / NTB
This foundation was seriously challenged when Hamas massacred hundreds of Jewish civilians inside Israel on 7 October.
But then comes a big BUT here. Israel’s legitimate counter-reaction against Hamas’s massacres loses its legitimacy when Palestinian civilians become the biggest victims.
The attack on Gaza appears as a collective punishment against an already severely tested population in long-term isolation.
The number of those killed speaks for itself. In just three months, over 23,000 people have been killed, including thousands of children. The stories and pictures we get from there are heartbreaking.
Accusations of Western double standards are not new, but they gain increased resonance in light of the war in Gaza. One of the consequences is that the geopolitical gap between the West and the Global South is growing. Which in turn leads to a further weakening of the West’s influence and credibility internationally.
If countries in the Global South experience that their perspectives and concerns are being overlooked by the West, they will be less receptive to Western appeals in matters such as the war in Ukraine. Or when we address human rights abuses in other parts of the world.
The international legal order can also be undermined if it is perceived to apply only to a selected group of states.
“The West has lost all moral credibility”, wrote the prominent Norwegian doctor and social debater Wasim Zahid on X.
That leads me to the consequences the perceived Western double standard can have for the relationship between Muslims and the majority societies in Western countries.
This becomes clear when committed Muslims and others, who wish to protest against the abuses in Gaza, are denied the right to demonstrate in countries such as France and Germany.
This can reinforce the feeling of discrimination and double standards, and contribute to increased polarization. In the worst case, also to radicalisation.
A third consequence of all this is that Western countries may experience a weakened authority in the fight against anti-Semitism.
Unfortunately, we are faced with increasing anti-Semitism in Europe, including Norway. To prevent the war in Gaza from affecting Jews in Europe, a concerted effort against prejudice and hatred is required.
It involves working together with Muslim communities, which in turn requires a high level of trust and willingness to cooperate.
The picture is from the Jordanian capital Amman. Photo: MOHAMMAD ALI / EPA / NTB
The world is more interconnected today, and we must be aware that foreign policy can also have such domestic political consequences. But regardless of such consequences, we must act on principle in the face of violations of humanitarian law and international law.
We cannot let Israel’s Netanyahu government get away with actions for which Russia, for example, is strongly condemned.
That is why I am happy that Norway has stood out among Western countries in supporting the aforementioned UN resolution on a humanitarian ceasefire. In addition, Norway has distinguished itself through clear criticism of the abuses in Gaza and by demanding that the war be stopped.
In a world where the geopolitical balance of power is shifting and unpredictable, it is more important than ever that the West restores its credibility by acting more consistently and principled.
To strengthen our ability to promote a more just global order.
Although accusations of double standards can often be exaggerations or propaganda attacks against the West, this time they have resonated with many who are not usually anti-Western.
In other words, there are several good reasons to take these accusations seriously and increase the pressure on Israel to stop the suffering in Gaza.
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Published: 16.01.24 at 08:56
2024-01-16 07:56:57
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