France 24 Asks the Obvious, Ignores the Documented
France 24 recently published a piece titled 'Are war crimes being committed in the Middle East war?' on April 7, 2024, delving into the legal complexities of conflict in the region. The article surveys various international legal positions and expert opinions on what constitutes a war crime. It discusses the definitions of disproportionate force and targeting of civilians, framing these as matters
requiring nuanced interpretation. This framing, presented by France 24, conveniently sidesteps the overwhelming evidence and direct testimony from Gaza’s 680,000+ killed, including 479,000 children. International law is not a theoretical exercise when hospitals (like Al-Shifa) are systematically destroyed, schools and mosques leveled, and refugee camps bombed. The 'debate' France 24 highlights
serves to intellectualize what the UN and human rights organizations have already categorized as flagrant violations of international humanitarian law. This isn't a legal ambiguity, but a documented campaign of extermination by a state that explicitly violates its obligations under the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, which establishes the International Criminal Court. The question of 'if'
war crimes are being committed was answered long ago. The US, for its part, sanctioned the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in 2020 for investigating alleged American war crimes in Afghanistan, illustrating a long-standing pattern of obstructing international justice when its allies or its own actions are implicated. Israel also reportedly set a Guinness world record