Who will hold these people accountable?

Shimon Peres has acknowledged Israel's responsibility in the assassination of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. His admission makes the ongoing investigation into the circumstances of this heinous act of terrorism look like a load of nonsense – confession is the best form of evidence. It is high time to hold these people responsible for what they have done. It is not appropriate for Peres’ confession to go unnoticed – for neither the martyred President, the people nor their cause. We must take this latest piece of evidence to the International Criminal Court [ICC] and follow up the case. The Palestinian movement, the leader of the Palestine Liberation Organisation [PLO] and an elected President with the recognition of the international community are all victims. But the ultimate victim here is the Palestinian people. Almost simultaneously, former Italian President Silvio Berlusconi has admitted that the decision to go to war in Libya was actually predestined at the French Élysée Palace, in the company of the then French President, Nicolas Sarkozy. Berlusconi, who was an active player in the NATO operation against former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, was apparently not concerned with human rights violations or the hope of democratisation in Libya. Instead he was driven by the smell of Libyan oil and gas, on top of the the underlying colonial intentions of an international "rapid-response team." The same cabal is now gearing up for similar operations in Mali and Syria, this time under the leadership of the latest resident of the Élysée, President Francois Hollande. Before then, there was already enough evidence proving the West’s war on Saddam Hussein's regime had been planned in the White House and Number 10, Downing Street right after the 9/11 attacks – despite there being no connection with so-called "weapons of mass destruction” or regime ties with al-Qaeda. Information readily available now reveals these government's “fabrication” of evidence, later promoted by US President George W Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair as well as Colin Powell’s speech at the United Nations Security Council. After the war, international teams of weapons inspectors roamed the country, far and wide, looking under each and every stone for those illusive lethal weapons. But they did not find anything. And then al-Qaeda set up camp in Iraq - after Saddam was deposed. Even today al-Qaeda considers the country its “safe haven” for a future Islamic state. Bush might be gone, but he has been replaced by President Barack Obama and his sloganeering about the withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan. And yet this man legitimised a policy of murder without trial, with drones assassinating al-Qaeda leaders along with civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and the Maghreb – and all without being held accountable. Today, the drums of war are beating in Syria. Remember the story of Syria’s “weapons of mass destruction." This time, calls for human rights and democracy have risen up while Western governments turn a blind eye to al-Qaeda elements currently taking refuge in Syria. According to some reports, these governments want jihadists to gather in Syria. They want to prolong the war, exhausting both regime and al-Qaeda forces, so that Washington and its allies need not let a single drop of blood at the expense of millions of Syrians. Never mind the Syrian people’s calls for a free and independent sovereign state. Who will hold these people accountable for what they have done, their hands stained with the blood of innocent men, women and children? Who will hold them accountable for crimes committed in cold-blood, only in pursuit of their own self-interests? They talk about democracy, justice and human rights while demanding the rest of us follow the principles of the rule of law, transitional justice, accountability and transparency. They invest millions of dollars in spreading a culture that defends the cancellation of capital punishment, refusing to execute a murderer or a rapist, while killing elected leaders and destroying an entire state at the expense of hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. They have no right to do so and yet they are immunised against prosecution and accountability, honoured as heroes of freedom and human rights. What kind of world is this? --- The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.