Other G7 members need to listen to voices of reason rather than toe US’ unconscionable line: China Daily editorial

In a blunt assessment of the situation, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday that "Gaza is becoming a graveyard for children".

More than 4,000 children have been reported killed in Gaza during Israel's military campaign over the past four weeks, according to the Palestinian enclave's health authorities. That surpasses the total annual number of children killed in armed conflicts around the world in each of the past four years, as Save the Children has pointed out.

Even two weeks ago, when calling for an immediate cease-fire and for sustained and unimpeded access for humanitarian assistance, UNICEF bemoaned the number of child casualties as "a growing stain on our conscience". This has left some of the G7 countries squirming in guilt, as the United States' support of its long-time Middle East ally has reportedly made it difficult for the group of developed countries "to come to a consensus" on the issue. Something that the heads of the 18 United Nations agencies seem to have had no difficulty in reaching, as they jointly called for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire on Sunday.

They did not mince words. Saying that the entire population of Gaza has been besieged and attacked and is unable to obtain survival necessities, they declared: "It has been 30 days. It's time to stop. All this must stop now."

Although the White House said that US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the potential for "tactical pause" on Monday, Netanyahu continues to vow no letup in Israel's military campaign and he continues to refuse to call for a cease-fire.

Biden insists that Israel has the right to respond to the attacks by Hamas, and has sent two aircraft carrier strike groups to the Gulf in a show of support for Israel. The US House of Representatives also passed a $14.5 billion military aid package for the latter on Nov 2, although it is predicted that it has no chance of being passed by the Senate as it calls for the money to be offset by cuts in government spending elsewhere.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made no public comment when he arrived in Japan on Tuesday for the meeting of G7 foreign ministers. Japan, which is the present G7 chair and the host of the meeting, is reportedly trying to "handle the crisis cautiously" not because it is considering censuring Washington but because of its heavy reliance on oil in the Middle East and on the US security alliance.

The other G7 members' subservience to the US is why analysts predict that when the group's foreign ministers release their joint communique after their discussions on Tuesday and Wednesday, it will probably mention Israel's offensive in only general terms.

Although France supported a UN resolution on Oct 24 calling for a humanitarian cease-fire, the US voted against it while Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and Italy all abstained. As a whole, the G7 club is unwilling to not let Washington call the shots, despite the growing stain on their conscience.