By Donald Ramotar, Former President of Guyana

In order to prevent the atrocities of that war many international institutions were created. The most important being the United Nations. Subsequently an International Court of Justice (ICJ) and an International Criminal Court (ICC). These were to discourage acts of mass violence and when they occur to punish the perpetrators.

Unfortunately, almost all of the people that experienced such genocide and the untold sufferings have passed on. The leaders of the world today seem to have forgotten the misery and grief caused by that war.

It appears that fascism and the supporters of fascism are on the rise, holding some of the most important positions in our world. Our world has become a very dangerous place where no one is safe.

The most shameful occurrence took place in plain sight of the whole world. Tens of thousands of innocent civilians were killed by bombs and bullets in Palestine. Among these were children who were deliberately targeted by Israeli snipers in the Gaza. All of them killed by snipers were shot in the head or through the heart.

Pure water, electricity and sewerage systems were deliberately destroyed so that those who were “fortunate” not to have been shot could die from simple diseases such as gastro, flu and/or starvation.

For the first time ever doctors, nurses and other medical workers including ambulance workers were marked for death. Hundreds were brutally murdered.

Another group that was targeted was journalists and other media workers. Never before were so many killed. This was to prevent them from reporting on the genocide. However, the scale was so massive that it could not have been hidden.

The Israeli regime that was mainly responsible for the massacre was fully supported with billions of dollars worth of bombs, bullets, tanks, planes, drones, helicopters and other killing machines mainly from the United States but also from the United Kingdom, Germany and other European States.

The international institutions created at the end of World War II are now seriously damaged and made almost totally ineffective by the US and its allies.

There was some hope that the Palestinian may have gotten some justice after Donald Trump was elected. However, since taking over from the collaborationist Biden Government, the Trump administration promises to be the same or worse.

In the first place they continue to blame the victims – the Palestinians people with the most outrageous lies and distortions. They keep supporting the occupation and the thousands of Palestinians imprisoned for decades, many without even being charged.

Trump has proposed to seize the Palestinian lands in Gaza and is supporting the present attacks by the Israeli Defence Force on unarmed Palestinians on the West Bank.

This new American regime is not just threatening the Palestinians. The President himself has threatened to seize the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada.

One of the reasons we were told that gave rise to Adolph Hitler in Germany was the policy of appeasement. The UK sacrificed Czechoslovakia in the hope of getting peace.

We see many countries hustling to appease Donald Trump. Mexico and Canada which took a strong stance against the threat of ‘sanctions’ by Trump caved in. They both placed soldiers on their borders while begging not to be penalised. So far Trump has given them a month’s reprieve.

Colombia’s President took a strong position against the way Colombians were being deported back to Bogota. Within hours he went on a 180-degree change. The same could be said of Panama’s administration which had decided to end its relations with China’s Belt and Road initiative.

This will embolden Trump and the ultra right in his government. In search of raw materials the present US administration is leaving nothing to the imagination. They are making it clear that they would take what they want. International laws would not be an impediment to this cabal.

If the US is allowed to get away with these outlandish positions, then the world would be the limit.

In this year of the 80th anniversary of the defeat of fascism let us reiterate the call “Never Again”.