Palestinians displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip flee from Hamad City, following an evacuation order by the Israeli army to leave parts of the southern area of Khan Younis, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024 (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

An op-ed published by the Washington Post on Monday detailed that the war on Gaza cast a shadow over a solemn commemoration in Japan, where Western ambassadors, including the top US envoy in Tokyo, participated in a de facto boycott of a ceremony in Nagasaki. The event, held last Friday, marked the anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city by the United States in 1945.

The decision not to attend was reportedly in response to the local authorities' exclusion of "Israel" from the ceremony, a move intended to avoid potential disruptions amid rising anger over the ongoing genocide in Gaza.

Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki stated that the omission was to maintain a "peaceful and solemn atmosphere," denying that it was politically motivated. However, this explanation did not satisfy the US embassy and other Western nations in the Group of Seven (G7).

Their envoys collectively signed a letter to Mayor Suzuki, condemning the decision to link "Israel" with Russia, a nation similarly uninvited due to its special military operation in Ukraine.

The op-ed pointed out the irony in this linkage, noting that the scale of destruction in Gaza, due to Israeli bombardment, may surpass the devastation caused by Russia in Ukraine. "Per one assessment, the mass of explosives dropped on Gaza is equivalent to multiple times more firepower than what was unleashed by the atomic bomb deployed by the United States over Hiroshima in 1945," writer Ishaan Tharoor notes.

The piece also delves into the broader context of Western support for "Israel," despite growing civilian casualties in Gaza. More than 10 months of intense Israeli aggressions have resulted in almost 40,000 deaths, widespread destruction, and humanitarian crises in the Palestinian territory.

The US and its allies have consistently defended "Israel's" right to self-defense, even as figures like Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich make controversial statements supporting genocidal measures against Gaza.

"No one in the world will allow us to starve two million people, even though it might be justified and moral in order to free the hostages," Smotrich said earlier this month.

The situation has drawn international condemnation, including from British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who labeled Smotrich's remarks advocating for the starvation of civilians as a war crime. Tharoor also made mention of Itamar Ben-Gvir for his proactive role in the torture and abuse of Palestinians.

"Israel is frequently shielded from censure on the international stage by Western powers whose arguments defending Israel get undermined by Israeli officials themselves," Tharoor writes. "And then there’s the deeper sense that many in the West’s political establishment don’t seem to mind the severity of punishment that Israel has meted not just on Hamas, but on Palestinians writ large."

The rhetoric from Israeli leaders continues to reflect a genocidal stance, Tharoor notes, complicating diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration and other Western nations to promote peace in the region.