Urgent sanctions, arms embargo needed to stop genocide, Rula Jebreal tells Anadolu
ROME/ISTANBUL — Palestinian Italian journalist and author Rula Jebreal said the Gaza Strip has turned into a cemetery for children and a graveyard for international law.
Jebreal, whose book, “Genocide: What Remains of Us in the Neo-Imperial Era,” garnered widespread attention upon its release, has been instrumental in raising awareness among the Italian public about the atrocities and blockade in the enclave. She told Anadolu that she wrote the book to awaken consciences and warn against the brutal doctrine applied in Gaza, which is becoming a global norm.
The book’s cover features an award-winning photo by Anadolu’s Gaza-based photojournalist Ali Jadallah, taken Oct. 23, 2023, the 17th day of Israeli military assaults on Gaza, Jebreal noted.
She said she chose the photo intentionally — a woman fleeing with her daughter while a city lies in complete ruins behind them – which symbolises the collapse of our humanity, as it embodies everything happening in Gaza.
Jebreal also highlighted the conflicts in Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iran, stressing that she wrote the book to ensure humanity does not forget, as we are living witnesses to a global genocide.
She described the stance of the US administration, Italy and Europe on Gaza as that of accomplices, saying international law appears to apply only to Europeans and Westerners, but not to Palestinians — they are effectively reshaping the global order.
She criticised the prioritisation of arms sales over upholding international justice, warning that humanity is currently facing an extremely dangerous period.
Noting that a significant portion of the Italian public has recently voiced opposition to what is happening in Gaza, Jebreal said that there is a clear divide between civil society and governments, which are betraying their democratic duty to listen to their people.
She added that perhaps for the first time in history, 90% of the world’s population opposes what is happening in Gaza, yet all Western governments support the genocide, a situation she believes will inevitably lead to social and political collapse, and possibly violence.
Stressing the urgent need to halt the genocide, Jebreal called for justice, urging countries to uphold the Genocide Convention they have signed.
She emphasized the necessity of sanctions, an arms embargo and a Nuremberg-style trial for the perpetrators and their accomplices, naming key figures, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Defense Minister Israel Katz, stating that the Israeli government must be held accountable.
She underscored the need to send a clear message that no one has the right to kill children and women, bomb hospitals or murder medical personnel, condemning the colonial genocide in Gaza. — AA
