By Mohamed Harees –
Lukman Harees
The wildfires in California have scorched vast areas, destroying tens of thousands of structures and claiming at least 10 lives. Around 180,000 people have evacuated, and a further 200,000 remain under warning. These fires, fanned by dry winds, continue to rage across Southern California, affecting Los Angeles and neighbouring regions. While the sympathy and hearts go with the people of California who are enduring the devastation of the wildfires, it is indeed political hypocrisy when the US and the West started expressing their selective empathy which was almost wholly absent when the brutal and genocidal fires of war have been engulfing the people of Gaza for over a year. In fact, the US and the West are guilty of arson as they helped the Zionist Israel to set fire to the Palestinian lands and aspirations.
Media reports may give a distorted picture about the enormous tragedy which struck California. The sight of celebrity mansions and movie landmarks reduced to ashes can make it seem like the wildfires roaring through the Los Angeles area affected a constellation of movie stars. However, a drive through the charred neighbourhoods around Altadena shows that the fires also burned through a remarkable haven for generations of Black families avoiding discriminatory housing practices elsewhere. They have been communities of racial and economic diversity, where many people own their own homes.Some now fear the most destructive fires in California’s history have altered that for good. Recovery and rebuilding may be out of reach for many, and pressures of gentrification could be renewed.
For the ordinary people, the wildfires are seen as a personal tragedy that deserves empathy and support, yet this same level of compassion is often absent in the highest echelons of power specially in the West, when it comes to the suffering in Gaza. However, social media, in this case, aptly acted as a powerful lens that magnifies many contradictions, highlighting a growing sense of frustration over the ‘selective empathy’ displayed by the West particularly the US as well as certain public figures and the political implications surrounding global tragedies. It is arguable that while public figures may express sorrow for those in California, their past stances on Gaza expose a profound disconnect when it comes to acknowledging the scale of suffering in Palestine.
For a start, it was comical to witness that amid this tragedy, Israel extended a message of solidarity, but the gesture has faced significant criticism online. “Our hearts are with the residents of Southern California as wildfires continue to impact communities,” the embassy wrote on X. “Israel stands in solidarity with those affected, and we send strength to the brave firefighters and first responders working tirelessly to protect lives and homes.”(My foot!).
Social media users not only criticised Israel’s message of solidarity regarding the California wildfires but were also quick to draw stark comparisons between the devastation in California and Gaza. Many posts shared before-and-after images of neighbourhoods ravaged by the wildfires alongside similar visuals from Gaza, illustrating the destruction caused by IDF. Many hundreds responded pointing out the obvious of Israel’s heartless genocide and reminding readers of its countless victims.
Moreover, social media users wasted no time in claiming it was “karma” for celebrities and others who had openly supported Israel amid its military actions in Gaza. Specially, Actor James Woods, known for his vocal support of Israel, saw his Los Angeles home destroyed in the fires. Social media users quickly pointed out the irony, with one commenter remarking, “Woods supported policies that razed homes in Gaza, and now he watches his own home burn.” As Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha wrote on X, “How dare you cry on air?!”, expressing outrage over selective empathy. Adding to the discourse, prominent American imam and activist Omar Suleiman also highlighted the stark disparity in global empathy. “Praying that God protect the lives and properties of innocent people in Los Angeles and beyond. But can’t help but notice this. The people of Gaza continue to be exterminated by the cruel in houses of power, with the support of the cruel who feel invincible in their mansions.” In fact, in this polarised environment, the response to both calamities thus is often framed through a political lens, leaving many questioning whether the empathy extended is truly universal or dependent on political and ideological convenience.
There was another angle to the US hypocrisy. The Washington Post newspaper reported that the state authorities had sent 395 prisoners to fight forest fires. The publication notes that for the most part these were persons who had committed minor crimes. However, in recent years, American officials have repeatedly criticized China for the alleged use of forced labour, especially in the Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region. And some pointed out the added shamelessness that Israel receives hundreds of millions of dollars in public funds from California and hundreds of billions from the US as a whole – while the Los Angeles Fire Department had just suffered more than a hundred million in cuts.
US and Western hypocrisy and its selective empathy for causes beneficial to them and their adventures is nothing new. From the get-go, international legal norms were intended to apply only to so-called “civilised” – read white – peoples. Savages did not count, and the powerful Western states could – and did – do to them what they pleased. Natives certainly did not “own” land or natural resources, and colonial powers were free to steal and exploit those as they wished. Zionism was also founded on such racist attitudes – attitudes that remain at the core of Israeli policies to this day. This hypocrisy of Western governments is not being lost on the rest of the world. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s willingness to condemn attacks against civilian infrastructure as war crimes in Ukraine, and her simultaneous refusal to acknowledge the suffering inflicted by Israeli bombing on Palestinian civilians, is far from exceptional. Such double standards are plain to see for those in the global South, and are a propaganda gift to countries such as Russia and China. Western democracies are violating their most fundamental commitments to international law and human rights, and the rest of the world is watching them do so in real time. The full consequences of this collective failure to condemn or halt Israeli violence will be felt for decades to come.
It is however a shame that continuing international apathy and silence too and merely paying lip service to injustices done by big sharks to smaller fries have allowed total impunity to prevail and making a mockery of international law. Israel enjoys total impunity and engages in genocidal warfare against Palestine; thanks to US help. However Human rights organizations and news outlets have reported on the unlawful collective punishment of the Palestinian population, the use of starvation as a weapon of war, and air and artillery strikes and building demolitions that involved no discernable military targets but yielded significant civilian casualties and destroyed property. Playing a part in the erosion of international law has harmful consequences for the US too far beyond Gaza. Already with dented credibility arising from invasions such as in Iraq, declarations by the US concerning atrocities rings hollow, making it harder to hold perpetrators accountable and deter future international crimes. Pressure on warring parties to abide by the laws of war in other places—for example, Azerbaijan or Sudan— carries less weight. In the eyes of the world, it has become harder to distinguish the US from countries that outright dismiss international law and intentionally undermine the rules-based international order through their actions. In Gaza we are witnessing the pathologies of a quickly declining America, its role no longer that of an ordering power but of a demiurge building a world of private enjoyment.
When ICJ determined that Israel is engaging in genocide when South Africa filed a case in 2024, and when International Criminal Court (ICC) judges issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, recently, Joe Biden said the decisions were “outrageous” and declared that “We will always stand with Israel.” What explained Biden’s stance? The evidence suggests that he is engaging in hypocrisy, opposing the International legal bodies, because they are scrutinizing the actions of a U.S. ally. Biden (like his predecessors) has supported the ICC—when doing so has served U.S. interests. This uneven approach undermines international law. Under Trump, international law will be a total non-entity, judging by his statements on Gaza and Greenland for example. Be it as it may, the ICC’s pursuit of charges against Israeli leaders—contrary to the wishes of the United States—demonstrates that powerful countries, particularly those aligned with the West, are not exempt from accountability. We’re seeing a more ambitious, confident court, and that’s a good thing for the international rule of law.
Traditionally, the West has wielded significant influence in international affairs, but South Africa’s move to file a ICJ case signalled a growing assertiveness among Global South nations that threatened the status quo. One clear pattern which emerged was that the old Western-dominated order is increasingly being challenged, a situation likely to only further intensify as the West loses its once unassailably dominant economic position. By supporting Israel’s atrocities in Gaza, the West has shredded what remains of its credibility and brought the ‘rules-based’ world order it purports to lead to the point of no return.
On a more fundamental level, these international institutions are not representative. Though civil society organisations can contribute to most of the debates, only governments have a say in the decision-making process – despite the fact that, as we see in the case of Gaza, even the governments of ostensible democracies do not necessarily represent the will of their people. Israeli aggression and colonisation must stop, and abusers of human rights in Palestine must be held accountable – including Western leaders who are complicit in genocide. There should be a revolutionary reform of international institutions. They must be made truly democratic and egalitarian. They must reflect the voice of the people, through civil society organisations and other democratic modes of representation – not governments that are too often in the pocket of rich and powerful interests.
A recent Brazilian initiative exemplified how individual states have a responsibility to uphold international law and should not rely solely on international institutions to take the first step. This action is also seen as a direct challenge to the hypocrisy of Western countries, which often lecture the world on human rights but turn a blind eye to Zionist crimes. The recent legal action initiated in Brazil to prosecute” Israeli” soldiers for war crimes committed in Gaza underscores a significant moment for international criminal law, according to Dr. Luigi Daniele, a senior lecturer at Nottingham Trent University. This move, based on universal jurisdiction, demonstrates how domestic courts can play a crucial role in enforcing international law and curbing impunity.
Daniele emphasizes that what Brazil is doing is a practical application of universal jurisdiction, which holds perpetrators accountable regardless of where the crime occurred. He explains that international law allows every country to prosecute crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide committed abroad if those responsible enter their territory. This mechanism challenges the idea of impunity that has persisted for years, particularly with regard to Zionist military actions. Daniele points out that the legal cases in Brazil could serve as a precedent for other countries to act on international crimes committed by “Israeli” soldiers. He stresses that the action is significant not only for its potential to bring justice to Palestinian victims but also for its broader implications for global accountability. This will be a good example for Sri Lanka to follow too, which has been entertaining many IDF soldiers, who in the garb of tourists, are entering its shores.
For generations, the rules-based international order has been proving incapable of agreeing an end to the unprecedented bloodshed in Gaza, and continuing at this rate, it will further undermine the world’s faith in the institutions that were built to serve it, and possibly contribute to its complete unravelling. Western leaders should think very hard about this historic reality. However, legal, institutional and even moral appeals that make up the international rules-based order have proven unfit to totally and fully ensure a sustainable resolution to the Palestine conflict. Instead, achieving fundamental change and a more viable solution requires moving past the orthodoxy of the rules-based international order and levelling the playing field.This will only come through the growing calls for justice from publics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the Global South, and Global North whose governments purport to defend the rules-based order. Without this pressure from its public, no government – regional or international – will seek to broker a more sustainable solution. Western hypocrisy will only continue.
