Can Israel be seen as a modern-day dinosaur?

Adiel Ismail writes can Israel be seen as a modern-day dinosaur? Picture: Reuters/Ammar Awad/File Photo

Adiel Ismail writes can Israel be seen as a modern-day dinosaur? Picture: Reuters/Ammar Awad/File Photo

Published Mar 3, 2024

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Charles Darwin is regarded as the father of evolution. Darwin theorised that all species have evolved from a common ancestor over millions of years.

Through evolutionary mechanisms of adaptation and specialisation, new species were formed.

There are seven distinct stages observed during human evolution, ranging from Dryopithecus, which occurred approximately 12.5 million years ago to approximately 650 000 years ago when the first Homo sapiens arrived on the scene.

Could one claim that humans have also evolved socially? Is proof of this the social skills we’ve developed and fine-tuned during the ages?

Did this social evolution bring an end to a practice where a male could satisfy his own sexual desires by taking control of any woman? Were rules crafted to outlaw such uncivilised and seemingly barbaric behaviour?

After World War II, sophisticated international laws were developed to prevent another genocide.

These laws were designed to avoid the exploitation of one country by another, so that all countries had to be respected and each country treated in the same way.

The objective of international laws was to regulate engagement between civilised societies or countries to ensure that no country dominated another and to ensure that corrective measures were in place should any country breach any of these international laws.

The crux of these international laws was captured in the Charter of the United Nations and also expressed in the rules of the Geneva Convention.

The United Nations (UN) has 193 member countries. Resolutions issued by the United Nations Security Council are deemed enforceable on member states.

Yet, Israel, a member of the UN, has ignored 32 of the UN Security Council’s resolutions issued to her, and no one has held her to account, even years after such contraventions. This trend of disregarding the rule of international law by Israel has been occurring for the past 56 years.

Finally, can one conclude that Israel’s total disregard of international law stems from her lack of evolution with regards to law?

Does Israel’s despicable behaviour towards the Palestinians point to a proverbial dinosaur that has failed to evolve with the trends of international law over the past seven decades?

You be the judge.

* Adiel Ismail, Mountview.

** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.

Cape Argus

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