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CHICAGO: A retired US special forces officer who worked for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation slammed Israel’s actions during a webinar attended by Arab News on Sunday.

“What’s happening in Palestine, in Gaza, in the West Bank isn’t lawful. It’s not acceptable,” said Anthony Aguilar.

“It’s not self-defense. It’s not justified in any way. And to stand by and support it, even to just stand by and turn another cheek, is wrong … That’s when evil really starts to take root is when people can hide from the truth.”

He said he witnessed how easily Israeli soldiers would shoot and kill Palestinians who lined up for food at distribution sites operated by the GHF, which is backed by Israel and the US.

Aguilar spoke of “an entire population of human beings being starved, dehumanized, displaced and killed,” and described Israel’s actions in Gaza as “inhumane.”

He was arrested on Wednesday along with former army intelligence officer Dr. Josephine Guilbeau while protesting during a Senate hearing against US complicity.

Guilbeau told the webinar that her effort to “sound the alarm” in the Senate and Congress “doesn’t come easy to me … especially as someone who served this country for over 17 years … It’s not something that I’m happy to have to do, but it’s something that I know must be done.”

She noted that there are eight American military veterans among the dozens of activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla, led by Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, which is sailing to Gaza with humanitarian aid. 

Guilbeau said the flotilla protest is “something that must be done” to raise awareness of the killings in Gaza.

Lara Elborno, an international lawyer and member of the Gaza Tribunal, which is examining the UK’s role in war crimes committed in the Palestinian enclave, told the webinar: “Public opinion in support of the Palestinian liberation struggle has always been the norm in large parts of the Global South, but what’s different now is that public opinion supporting Israel and its genocide is a minority opinion in the Global North.”

She added: “The latest polls in the US are damning indictments of the fact that the genocide hasn’t been a popular policy, whether it be among Republicans or Democrats. The Israeli regime has never been as unpopular as it is in this moment.”

The webinar was organized by Lifeline for Palestine, and was led by former US presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein.

GENEVA: The UN human rights chief on Monday accused Israel of committing grave violations in Gaza, warning that mounting evidence could hold it accountable before the International Court of Justice.

Volker Türk, speaking at the opening of the 60th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, said he was “horrified by the open use of genocidal rhetoric, and the disgraceful dehumanization of Palestinians by senior Israeli officials,” describing Gaza as “already a graveyard.”

Türk condemned what he called Israel’s “mass killing of Palestinian civilians, the obstruction of humanitarian aid, and the commission of war crimes,” adding that such acts were “shocking the world’s conscience.” He warned that “rules of war are being shredded – with virtually no accountability.”

The UN rights chief said the situation in Gaza reflected a broader erosion of international law, where “the glorification of violence is coupled with disturbing trends that undercut our rights across the world.” He urged decisive international action to halt the bloodshed, stressing that the mounting evidence of atrocities requires urgent accountability.

Türk also highlighted the crisis in Sudan, describing the scale of the suffering of the Sudanese people as ‘unfathomable’ and urging decisive action to prevent further atrocities.

(With AFP and Reuters)