During a United Nations Security Council meeting this week, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield launched a full-throated condemnation of Russiaā€™s bombing of Ukraineā€™s largest childrenā€™s hospital on Monday. The attack was a part of a Russian bombing campaign that killed more than 30 Ukrainian civilians.

ā€œWeā€™re here today because Russia ā€¦ attacked a childrenā€™s hospital,ā€ Thomas-Greenfield said. ā€œEven uttering that phrase sends a chill down my spine.ā€

Thomas-Greenfield went on to list a string of Russian attacks on other Ukrainian hospitals throughout the war. She described Russiaā€™s aggression as a ā€œcampaign of terrorā€ and labeled its attacks on civilian infrastructure as violations of international law. Representatives of other countries, such as the United Kingdom and France, echoed Thomas-Greenfieldā€™s denunciations. (Russiaā€™s ambassador denied responsibility for the Monday bombing.)

ā€œIā€™m very glad the U.S. is coming out and so vocally condemning all of those actions,ā€ said Jessica Peake, an international law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law, referring to Thomas-Greenfieldā€™s comments toward Russia. ā€œBut at the same time, we donā€™t get any language anywhere near as strong as that when weā€™re talking about Palestinian hospitals, or Palestinian schools, or Palestinian children.ā€

  • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
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    4 months ago

    That said, ā€œhospitalā€ is just a word. If the building is occupied by patients and doctors and is not part of the fighting, then I fully agree with you. If it is empty of doctors and patients, and instead a battalion of soldiers is shooting at you from it, it should be blown up.

    Adressing only both of these extremes ensure that nothing you said addresses any aspect of reality.

    • Carrolade@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      Theyā€™re hypotheticals meant to communicate how the Geneva Conventions actually work in real life. Sorry if you donā€™t like it.

      • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
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        4 months ago

        The Geneva convention isnā€™t relevant to Israelā€™s current war in Gaza. Blowing up hospitals remains immoral. Sorry if you donā€™t like it.

        • Carrolade@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          War is immoral, everything about it. No exceptions. Humanity does not function based on universal morality though, it functions on law.

          • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
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            4 months ago

            There are no laws governing Israelā€™s conduct in Gaza at this moment , and unconditional US support ensures that this will remain the case. Youā€™re purposely talking about irrelevant nonsense to deflect from their obviously immoral acts.

            • Carrolade@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              No, Iā€™m not talking about irrelevant nonsense, Iā€™m talking about war as it pertains to a war. Note, I have said several times that what is happening is very immoral. This is not deflection.

              Additionally, international law certainly applies, the ICJ has jurisdiction to try war criminals regardless of where they are.

              • nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca
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                4 months ago

                That jurisdiction doesnā€™t matter for Israel so long as they enjoy unconditional support from the US. Why do you insist on talking about shit that doesnā€™t matter?

                • Carrolade@lemmy.world
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                  4 months ago

                  Couple reasons. First, thatā€™s just false. The US cannot prevent an ICJ ruling, and it would definitely impact Netanyahuā€™s govt on multiple levels with a great many countries including his own. Second, US support is not actually unconditional, as we saw when the bomb shipments got paused. US support is still partial, and could become either stronger or weaker.