'Israel's' neglect of int'l law shows devalue of human rights: Amnesty
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Lawlessness, discrimination, and impunity in wars have been encouraged by the unfiltered use of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI).
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A Palestinian flag flutters in the wind during a pro-Palestinian encampment inside Columbia University Campus on Sunday, April 28, 2024, in New York. (AP)
A newly released report by Amnesty International warns of the deteriorating state of human rights given the global neglect toward Gaza and the disregard of crimes by the Western allies.
It stated that lawlessness, discrimination and impunity in wars have been encouraged by the unfiltered use of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), which are now weaponized by military, political, and corporate actors.
It warned that AI will most likely catalyze the breakdown of the rule of law, coupled with the power of Big Tech, which is “supercharging” human rights violations.
“Israel’s flagrant disregard for international law is compounded by the failures of its allies to stop the indescribable civilian bloodshed meted out in Gaza. Many of those allies were the very architects of that post-World War Two system of law," it said.
It added, “During a landmark year of elections and in the face of the increasingly powerful anti-regulation lobby driven and financed by Big Tech actors, these rogue and unregulated technological advances pose an enormous threat to us all. They can be weaponized to discriminate, disinform and divide.”
Escalating conflicts, an explosion of unregulated technology, and the backsliding of LGBTI rights. The international community is failing to stop these and other human rights abuses.
— Amnesty International (@amnesty) April 24, 2024
Hear about the state of the world's human rights, through the eyes of Amnesty colleagues 👇 pic.twitter.com/U0LmOPGppE
Agnès Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, expressed that what was witnessed "in 2023 confirms that many powerful states are abandoning the founding values of humanity and universality enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."
She noted that this report provides "a dismal picture of alarming human rights repression and prolific international rule-breaking, all in the midst of deepening global inequality, superpowers vying for supremacy and an escalating climate crisis".
Callamard warns that the "unregulated" applications of generative AI, spyware, and facial recognition "in an increasingly precarious world... are poised to be a pernicious foe – scaling up and supercharging violations of international law and human rights to exceptional levels."
The report set an example being the "pervasive nefarious use of facial recognition" in the occupied West Bank, which "Israel" uses to reinforce restrictions on freedom of movement and aid in its occupation methods.
'Grotesque, not fit for purpose'
The report spoke of double standards, which proves interesting, especially after the UK just released its "2030 roadmap for UK-Israel bilateral relations."
Amnesty International called out the "grotesque double standards of European countries such as the UK and Germany, given their well-founded protestations about war crimes by Russia and Hamas, while they simultaneously bolster the actions of Israeli and US authorities in this conflict."
Back in 2022, Amnesty International confirmed that Ukraine was violating international human rights law in many ways such as operating weapons out of bases established in residential areas while civilians are present, which breaches rule 23 of Article 58(b) of Additional Protocol I that separates military objectives and civilian populations.
With that being said, the UK and the West as a whole decided to call out Russia while leaving Ukraine aside, and Amnesty has previously condemned the UK for its selective human rights abuse definitions.
“The bilateral relationship has never been stronger,” the Roadmap says, adding, “Our strategic partnership is underpinned by extensive security and defense cooperation.” It goes without saying how deeply the UK is complicit in the genocide in Gaza by arming "Israel" unconditionally.
The failure, as per Amnesty, to protect civilians and children by the thousands in Gaza “from being killed in the occupied Gaza Strip makes patently clear that the very institutions set up to protect civilians and uphold human rights are no longer fit for purpose."
Read more: Report unveils UK's premediated role in Gaza genocide: Declassified UK
The report released a statement that could not be changed or summarized any other way.
In a conflict that defined 2023 and shows no sign of abating, evidence of war crimes continues to mount as the Israeli government makes a mockery of international law in Gaza.
