Bombing of the Baptist Hospital. Crime against humanity
Afrasianet - U.S. officials have had mixed positions on the targeting of hospitals, infrastructure, civilians and journalists during the Russian-Ukrainian war and Israel's brutal attacks on the Gaza Strip that have so far killed more than 9,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
While U.S. government officials do not hesitate to accuse, condemn, and blockade Russia with harsh sanctions over the war in Ukraine, they take the opposite stance regarding Israeli attacks on Gaza.
US officials make statements affirming their support for Israel and describing Hamas as "terrorist" despite the fact that it is a liberation movement that resists the occupation, in accordance with international conventions and laws.
Although the number of civilian casualties in Israel's bombing of Gaza's Baptist Hospital was far greater than any Ukrainian casualties , the US administration did not show the same harsh reaction to Tel Aviv, unlike it did against Russia, and even evaded blaming Israel for the bombing.
In Biden's eyes. Israel is innocent and Putin is a criminal
Commenting on the allegations of targeting the hospital in Mariupol, US President Joe Biden said that this is an injustice, a shame for the whole world, the whole world is united to support Ukraine and make (Russian President Vladimir) Putin pay a heavy price.
On the other hand, Biden said about the Israeli attack on the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, "I was very sad about the explosion in the hospital, and I was very angry, and according to what I saw, it is not you (Israel) but the other party," trying to exonerate Israel even though he does not have any evidence to prove it.
Biden also called what happened in Ukraine a "genocide," while leaving a news conference when asked about Israel.
Biden called mass graves found in Ukraine's Bucha region a "genocide." "It is becoming more and more clear that Putin is trying to eliminate the idea of being Ukrainian, and the volume of evidence is increasing with each passing day, and more evidence of the terrible things that Russia has done in Ukraine is coming," he said.
Returning from a visit to Tel Aviv following the Gaza attack, a journalist asked him whether the Israelis were acting within the framework of the law of war. He replied with a strange answer, ignoring the question, saying, "It was nice to talk to all of you." He turned his back and left.
Since October 7, the Israeli army has waged a war on the Gaza Strip, which has resulted in the death of more than 46 civilians, mostly women and children, in addition to the injury of hundreds of thousands and causing a catastrophic humanitarian situation.
Blinken sees with an Israeli eye
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken remained silent about the Israeli attack on Gaza's Baptist Hospital, but commenting on Russia's alleged targeting of Mariupol Hospital, he stressed that Russia was targeting theaters and hospitals.
"President Biden believes in committing war crimes in Ukraine, and I agree with that, deliberately targeting civilians is a war crime," he said at the time.
Blinken, on the other hand, avoided condemning the attack on the Gaza hospital, and did not issue any statement on the subject.
At a press conference on October 20, Blinken did not address the issue of "war crime regarding civilians killed in the area" and held "Hamas solely responsible for civilians killed in Israeli attacks."
On November 30, 2022, Blinken said that "Putin continues the war against civilians because of his military defeat, by destroying Ukraine's energy infrastructure and cutting off electricity, heating and water."
"All countries must help Ukraine to rehabilitate the destroyed infrastructure," he said.
In another speech the same day, Blinken said, "As Ukraine continues to gain momentum on the battlefield, Putin directs his anger and fire toward civilians in Ukraine, and Russia has dragged millions into the dark by bombing a third of Ukraine's energy system."
By contrast, Blinken avoided mentioning Israel's cut off Gaza's electricity, fuel, and water, blaming Hamas for Israel's targeting of infrastructure in the enclave, and accusing it of using civilians as human shields.
The White House. Theater of Contradiction
White House officials have taken mixed positions on attacks on hospitals in Ukraine and Gaza.
Regarding the bombing of the Mariupol hospital, then-White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki described the Russian bombing as "terrifying and barbaric." It noted that this constituted a war crime.
But regarding the bombing of the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, there was no condemnation from White House officials for the attack, while White House National Council spokeswoman Adrian Watson said only that "the information in their hands indicates that Israel is not responsible for the attack on the hospital."
There was also a clear difference in the reaction of U.S. officials to Russia and Israel regarding the targeting of journalists.
Following the murder of U.S. journalist Brent Reynaud in Ukraine, then-State Department spokesman Ned Price said, "We are shocked that journalists and film producers have been killed and injured by Kremlin forces, even though they were not fighting on the ground."
On the other hand, the current spokesman Matthew Miller, did not condemn Israel over the deaths of more than a hundred journalists to date in the Israeli bombardment, nor did he charge it in this regard.
Miller, at a news conference, said only that "the Washington government attaches importance to journalists" and that they are in mourning for the deaths of these journalists.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said that ballistic analysis of the incident in which Reuters cameraman Essam Abdullah was killed on the Lebanese-Israeli border showed a deliberate attack by Israel, but that this did not meet with any US condemnation.