LETTERS: For far too long, the United States has been pushing human rights as part of its foreign policy.
It pressures many governments, including Malaysia, to support its self-serving understanding of human rights.
Today, the US' human rights image has been shattered following its support for Israel's genocide in Palestine. How it twists and turns to justify genocide is bewildering and appalling.
Its hypocrisy is laid bare for all to see when it tries to appear concerned about the mass civilian deaths in Gaza while it continues to supply arms to Israel to bomb, maim and kill Palestinians.
There is no differentiation between combatants and non-combatants, as all are punished and seen as justifiable targets and collateral damage irrespective of whether they are children, women, elderly, wounded, pregnant, doctors, nurses or humanitarian aid providers.
They are protected persons under the Geneva conventions and the deafening silence and refusal of the US to condemn Israel for the mass killing and the destruction of protected infrastructure like hospitals, refugee camps and civilian and education structures reflect the US' shameful disregard of international humanitarian conventions and law.
What the US has also destroyed is the rules-based order that it frequently claims it cherishes as a core democratic value.
The US has frequently abused its veto power at the United Nations Security Council to ensure genocide proceeds unabated. When a resolution calling for a ceasefire was finally passed by the council, the US manipulated established legal principles by calling it non-binding.
There is no defence for genocide. Yet the US continuously pushes the Israeli occupying force's "right to self-defence" to justify genocide.
US lawmakers want to take action against South Africa for pursuing a legal remedy at the International Court of Justice, showing clear contempt of international law.
Clearly, the US only believes in "rules-based order" when it serves its interests.
Malaysians and citizens of the world must pressure the US to cease the Palestinian genocide.
The US is a stumbling block to achieving a permanent ceasefire and a fair world order.
To human rights civil societies that have been receiving support from the US, European Union, United Kingdom and Germany, it's time to suspend all collaborations until the countries agree to stop the genocide in Gaza and make Israel accountable.
The US has questioned our human rights record, now it's time for us to question its human rights abuses.
There is no more grievous breach of human rights than genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid. The Palestinians deserve to live like everyone else. Free Palestine.
LUKMAN SHERIFF
Chairman, Malaysian Alliance of Civil Society Organisations
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times