Editorial
Last week, a staged drama by a Western media outlet sent shockwaves: Mossad agents, in a stunningly brazen display, openly bragged about their covert operations, including an espionage plot against Hezbollah that led to the deaths of innocent civilians—among them children. Now the culprits have accepted responsibility for their crimes. Is there any person with a shred of decency who can justify this? If so, they must also justify what Hamas did to Israelis on October 7, 2023. The United Nations swiftly condemned Israel’s action against Lebanon, categorising them as “blatant violations of international law.” But the global response has been nothing short of disgraceful. Instead of demanding accountability or action, the world has once again opted for silence, shielding Israel’s intelligence agency from the consequences of its criminal conduct.
Mossad’s operation in Lebanon and Syria, where thousands of pager bombs were detonated indiscriminately, is a textbook case of war crimes. Thirty-two people were killed, over 3,000 were injured—including diplomats, medical staff, and children—and the entire operation was carried out with no regard for the distinction between combatants and civilians. Yet, even in the face of these facts, there has been no movement towards real justice. The UN calls for an investigation, but where are the sanctions? Why has no action been taken to hold Israel’s war criminals accountable? Why are there no International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants for those at the top of Mossad, the architects of this massacre?
This raises an even more pressing question: Why is Israel exempt from the consequences that would fall on any other state or organisation that committed these atrocities? If this was any other nation, the world would have called for immediate sanctions. But when it comes to Israel, the international community remains paralyzed, unwilling to impose any meaningful punishment. This is not just an oversight—it is complicity. The world’s failure to hold Israel accountable for its repeated violations of international law sends a clear message: Israel’s actions are above the law.
Sanctions must be imposed on Israel for its criminal conduct, and they must target not just the state itself, but the individuals responsible for these operations. The head of Mossad, the mastermind behind these illegal and deadly operations, should be sanctioned immediately. The same applies to other Israeli officials who are complicit in war crimes—why is there no action against them? Economic sanctions, travel bans, asset freezes, and diplomatic isolation should be imposed on those who direct and carry out these operations. If international law is to have any weight, it must apply universally, not selectively.
What Mossad has done—targeting civilians in an indiscriminate attack, using modified civilian devices as bombs—is nothing short of terrorism. The only difference is that it was carried out by a state intelligence agency. This is a clear violation of humanitarian law, and the consequences should be severe. If the global community is serious about combating terrorism and upholding human rights, it must not allow Israel to continue operating with impunity.
The hypocrisy is palpable. When Hamas or Hezbollah engage in acts of violence, the world rushes to impose sanctions, to condemn their actions as terrorism. Yet when Israel’s Mossad murders civilians in broad daylight, the response is muted, if not entirely absent. If international law is to have any meaning, it cannot be applied based on political convenience. The world cannot afford to allow Israel to continue breaking the law without consequences.
It is time for the international community to confront this issue head-on. Sanctions must be imposed on Israel and its officials. The ICC must issue warrants for those responsible for the war crimes committed by Mossad. No more empty rhetoric. No more turning a blind eye. The international community must act to ensure that Israel faces the full weight of its crimes. Failure to do so will only embolden other states to follow Israel’s example—operating outside the bounds of law, with no regard for human life.
In the end, this isn’t just about Israel. It’s about the integrity of international law. It’s about the moral responsibility of the world to ensure that no nation, no matter how powerful, is above the law. If we continue to allow Israel to operate with impunity, we risk sending a dangerous message: that might makes right, and that powerful states are free to kill anyone they deem a threat, without accountability. The time for action is now. Sanctions are not just a tool—they are a necessary step in holding Israel, and its intelligence agencies, accountable for their war crimes. Let the world know: No nation is above the law, and no one is free to murder innocents in the name of national security.
