Israel’s key enablers, the G7, plus Australia and New Zealand, have succeeded in muscling Israel back onto the invite list for the commemorations in Nagasaki on 9 August. Last year Israel was excluded, triggering a refusal by these countries to attend in 2024. Does the ‘personal’ invitation that Nagasaki has just sent to Israel represent a triumph of Western diplomacy or a sick joke?

You know who your mates are when you’re committing genocide

As I wrote at the time, the boycott by the powerful white-dominated Western nations was a stunning “ Fuck you” to the Hibakusha, the last few survivors of the US’s 1945 nuclear attack. More importantly it was as clear a statement of collective commitment to Israel’s war on Palestine as you could possibly wish for. You really find out who your true mates are when you’re committing genocide.

At the time, Shigemitsu Tanaka, the 83-year-old head of the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors Council, said he supported the move to keep the Israelis away from the commemorations, saying it was inappropriate to invite representatives from countries waging armed conflicts in defiance of calls from the international community.

Israel’s invitation is a triumph of Western pressure

A year later, the City buckled under pressure and has personally invited the Israelis. “After Israel was excluded last year over the Gaza war, Nagasaki’s mayor is avoiding renewed diplomatic tensions – especially following a clear message from the US,” Israel’s most popular news site,

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