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Editor's note: CGTN's First Voice provides instant commentary on breaking stories. The column clarifies emerging issues and better defines the news agenda, offering a Chinese perspective on the latest global events.
"The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a rally held in Istanbul on Saturday. "We are against all these double standards and all these hypocrisies," Erdogan said, accusing Western powers of "shedding tears" over deaths in Ukraine and turning a blind eye to the sufferings of Palestine civilians.
True, how to use regional tensions and manipulate public opinions for maximized political interests is the ultimate goal of U.S.-led Western powers in Gaza. For decades, the U.S. has been using Israel as an agent to stamp Western influences in the Middle East. The ongoing conflict, in Washington's eye, is a perfect opportunity to establish a new pro-West narrative on the Palestine question.
While the international community strongly calls for an immediate ceasefire, Washington has been adding fuel to Gaza tensions by blatantly claiming that Israel has a "right to defend itself." The U.S. is clear that the decades-long Palestine-Israel conflict is rooted in the occupation of the Palestinian territory, and granting Israel's "right to self-defense" will only make the matter worse, resulting in large-scale military actions in the Gaza Strip. But for Washington, the need to reaffirm Israel's "right to self-defense" and thus reinforce Western influence in the region apparently carries much more weight than the lives lost in the conflicts.
To this end, the U.S., in disregard of the fact that tens of thousands of innocent civilians are suffering in the region, has never called for a real ceasefire. While the conflicts are two-way round – Hamas' bombings of Israelis and Israel's attacks on Palestinians, Washington has demonstrated its Art of Injustice by sending missiles and warplanes to the Israeli side. Shouting "humanitarian assistance," the U.S. is looking for "justified" excuses to support Israel and bomb rivals in the region.
Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, October 8, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]
Directly sending weapons to allies is just one facet of U.S. tactics in the Middle East. The West has been adept at manipulating and preparing public opinion for Israel's military actions against Hamas. It is worth noting that "news" about "Hamas killing 40 babies and children" swept across Western media recently. However, accusing Hamas of a "massacre," these media outlets have so far provided no solid evidence.
Nicole Zedeck from Israeli media i24News was the first to report that "Hamas killed 40 babies/children." Zedeck admitted on Twitter that the "news" was from Israeli soldiers. Zedeck had not seen the "crime" with her own eyes and had no image showing it. This means that the authenticity of the news is in question. Western media outlets have not even verified the reported "crimes" before bashing Hamas.
The U.S. has been taking every possible means including fabricating fake news to justify Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip and its support to the Israeli government. Sending weapons to the region, the U.S.'s ultimate purpose is not to restore peace, but to eradicate rivals and reinforce its influence in the Middle East.
Washington has used the same old tactics in Ukraine, Syria and Iraq, to name but a few. In the guise of humanitarian assistance, the U.S. has been taking advantage of regional tensions for self-interests, leaving tens of thousands of innocent civilians suffering. Its hypocrisies and double standards are increasingly exposed and observed by the international community.
As Erdogan said, the U.S.-led West is the culprit behind the ongoing suffering in the Gaza Strip. While the restoration of peace talks is in urgent need, the international community must also be cautious about U.S. calculations so as to help locals in Gaza.
