Will there ever be a point at which we realise that we are living under completely false pretences?  Or perhaps we know, but are simply unable or unwilling to do anything about it…   The so-called democracies of the world loudly proclaim their adherence to the “rule of law” and yet (it seems to me) they undermine what rules exist at every opportunity – or at least when is is convenient for them.

At the G7 summit in Canada this weekend the so-called ‘leaders’ of the 7 richest countries met, and for reasons which are completely beyond me, (and in apparent response to the conflict that Israel has recently started with Iran) they signed a statement which not only re-affirms the right of Israel to defend itself but also that Iran is the primary source of instability in the Middle East.

On face value, indicating that the G7 leaders believe that Israel has the right to defend itself appears to me to be incongruous – given that this principle is clearly stated in Article 51 of the UN Charter.  The G7 countries (although members of the UN) are not the arbiters of UN Law, so quite frankly, as statement from them to this effect holds no legal weight whatsoever.  Perhaps however, the statement holds another, more political weight…  It is conceivable that the G7 make this statement precisely because they wish to portray their opinion that the actions of Israel are taken in self-defence and by stating this publicly, they can put to rest any protestations to the contrary?  What could possibly be the motivation for this?  Why on earth would any ‘leader’, especially one who respects the ‘rule of law’ wish to potentially bias any future analysis or decision by proclaiming something as fact before any judgement has been brought to bear..? (Why indeed..!)

Not satisfied with this, the G7 group then go on to state unambiguously that ‘Iran is the principal source of regional instability and terror’.  Unfortunately, I am not a scholar of the conflicts of the Middle East, so I cannot comment intelligently on this point.  What I can say however, is that this is cannot be considered a valid excuse for launching of a war/ conflict or invasion, since there is no protocol for declaring war in the UN Charter (you know, the basis for the declaration that Israel has the right to defend itself…).  In point of fact, Article 2 on the UN Charter specifically states the following:

• All Members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.
• All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations.

The Purposes of the UN being to promote peace, security and friendly relations.

Israel have since declared their violence as a Pre-Emptive Strike (another legal point that I cannot clarify here), and is justified because Iran could create “up to 9 nuclear bombs” within a “few months“.  “weeks away” from creating a nuclear bomb.  Now once again, whether or not this is true, this is not an excuse for war.  Were the acquisition of nuclear weapons a justification for war, then the United States of America, France, the UK and even Israel itself would all be valid targets!

What makes this worse is that this is far from the first time that Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that Iran is ‘moments away’ from creating a nuclear weapon.  Nor is is the second.  He made similar claims dating back to the 1990s..  despite which a nuclear bomb is not evident.

What is of interest to me here is not the unending anti-Iranian rhetoric from the Israeli Prime Minister, more the motivations of the leaders of the G7.  Israel is not only not defending itself with its actions, but it is Israel who are actively seeking to destabilise the Middle East region with their continued ongoing aggression against all around them.  So why would the G7 leaders stand behind the Israeli government at this time? And how can we as the public, the people who vote for these ‘leaders’ have any confidence in anything they do, when they so clearly flout whatever rules of engagement and normalcy exist whenever they damn please?

We live in a world where both the President and the Defence Secretary for the United States of America actually announce on television the policy of “…peace through strength…”.  I have not heard anything so dystopian since reading 1984 by George Orwell where the army was referred to as the Ministry of Peace.  We find ourselves in a world of doublespeak.  We have leaders who either bleat hypocrisies to the press, or who say nothing of the evident illegalities being prosecuted: such as the murder of civilians, scientists and journalists). Not being a military strategist – I cannot understand how the killing of a journalist will help Israel stop Iran getting nuclear weapons…

The G7 are an absolute disgrace, they should to a person be charged with aiding and abetting a war crime.  This behaviour is cowardly and despicable – the people have no morals and do not deserve our votes or our respect.

It isn’t just the top dogs mind you… two weeks prior to this, the Israeli military committed piracy on the high seas when they illegally seized a humanitarian vessel and kidnapped the crew.  The crew, were then subjected to detention, strip searching and isolation. (The crew incidentally included a Member of the European Parliament Rima Hassan, despite which the Parliament did not call for her unconditional release, nor sanction Israel.)

Why? Why do our politicians and leaders do this?

Perhaps instead we should be asking why we vote for people like this..?