ANSWER director: Israeli actions are ‘a crime against the humanity’
Tehran Times Political Desk

TEHRAN - The Mehr News Agency has conducted an interview with Brian Becker, the director of the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) organization, on Israel’s war on Gaza.

ANSWER is a U.S.-based protest organization that has organized many of the largest anti-war demonstrations in the United States.

Becker believes what is Israel is doing in Gaza is a “war crime”. He says, “It is really a crime against the humanity and war crimes as defined by all international standards including the Nuremberg Treaty, the Nuremberg Trial and the Geneva Convention.”

Following is an excerpt of the interview:

Q: What is your view on the UN’s silence about the Gaza tragedy and the killing of women and children?

A: People are demonstrating in the streets and yet the UN does nothing and the reason is that the UN is manipulated by the U.S. It is the exercise of the dictatorship by the U.S. and then other countries of the world because these exercises of power are in the Security Council. The charter of the UN is now a mockery because the UN, rather than bringing peace, allows a war of aggression carried out by Israeli government but supported and financed by United States.

Q: Do you think the crimes committed in Gaza can be classified as war crimes?

A: It is really a crime against the humanity and war crimes as defined by all international standards including the Nuremberg Treaty, the Nuremberg Trial and the Geneva Convention. It is illegal to target or even to allow military combatants to target civilians…. That is a violation of international law. Clearly the Israel government is not only targeting the military and governmental centers in Gaza but this is a war against the entire people and this is a war crime and a crime against the humanity.

Q: Some analysts say Israel does not intend to stop the attacks. What do you think?

A: Israel has a goal and its goal is shared with the U.S. The goal is to destroy all organizations… those resistance organizations that reject the colonial projects called Israel. The goal is to destroy Hamas and other organizations that continue to resist against the colonial projects. Israel’s goal is to destroy the (Hamas) movement.

Q: Is there any effort to bring Israeli officials to trial?

A: To be realistic I don’t believe there will be a trial because U.S. and Israel almost represent one entity and they have a great power to stand trial in any court. So the court we are going to is the court of the world public opinion and the people have to rise up against the aggression that has been done by Israel and supported by the U.S.

Q: How will the EU respond?

A: I think the EU too is under the political and military dominance of NATO and I believe that they won’t act independent of the desire of the U.S.

Q: What are you trying to do for Palestine?

A: This (U.S.) government speaks in our name and spends our taxes in our name for policies that are unjust and are harmful and for aggression and we have a moral obligation to stand up and speak to say no. The government speaks in our name but we do not approve it.

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