From Nanjing to Palestine: The World's Silence in the Face of Repeated Humanitarian Crimes

300,000 dead in Nanjing and thousands of victims in Palestine… and international justice is absent. History is not just dates and numbers; it is souls that lost their lives, homes that were destroyed, and families that were displaced. The international silence in the face of humanitarian crimes leaves room for violations to recur across time and space. In December 1937, China witnessed one of the gravest tragedies of the 20th century: the Nanjing Massacre, where the Japanese army committed mass atrocities against civilians and prisoners of war, including the systematic killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent Chinese, as well as the systematic rape of women and girls, including minors, torture, and humiliation before death to terrorize the civilian population, alongside looting and burning cities to force residents to flee. Historical estimates suggest that the number of victims reached about 300,000, including unarmed civilians, prisoners of war, women, and children. As one survivor wrote: "I have never seen such horror in my life; every street carried death and every home bore witness to pain." After the war, international and national tribunals were established to try some officials, such as the Tokyo and Nanjing Trials, but justice was partial and the number of trials limited, leaving millions of lost souls as a silent reminder warning humanity against repeating the tragedy. My personal visit to the Nanjing Memorial Museum was a shocking and moving experience. While strolling among the photos and documents, I felt the weight of history: innocent civilians who lost their lives, torn children and families, an entire city subjected to complete destruction. The museum displays personal testimonies, letters, and documented evidence that scream out of pain and lost humanity, such as letters written by civilians before their deaths saying: "I hope the world knows what is happening to us and does not forget our voices." The crimes committed included mass killings, systematic sexual violence, torture, humiliation before murder, looting, and destruction. These realistic scenes made me realize something important: humanitarian crimes do not stop at the limits of time and space, and ignoring them keeps the door open for their recurrence. Despite the magnitude of the Nanjing tragedy, it did not receive the same global attention that the Holocaust against the Jews in Europe did. It seems that global interest has been characterized by political bias, which gave the Holocaust a global symbolism, while China’s tragedy remained almost ignored outside its borders. The Holocaust has become a global symbol of human rights violations due to global political and diplomatic pressures and the Zionist influence in highlighting this tragedy as a lesson for international justice and for nefarious political purposes. However, what happened in Nanjing, despite being mass war crimes against defenseless civilians, has not been studied in global schools to the same extent and has not created the same international awareness. As one Chinese researcher stated: "The Chinese pains in Nanjing have not been granted the world’s right to know them, even though it was one of the largest humanitarian tragedies of the 20th century." This difference in coverage illustrates the gap between symbolic justice and real justice, and the victims, whether in China, Europe, or Palestine, share the same pain, but international politics often determines who receives justice and who is forgotten. Since 1948, Palestine has seen mass crimes and repeated violations against civilians, including massacres such as Kafr Qasim, Deir Yassin, and Tantoura, in addition to the recurrent wars on Gaza, which resulted in thousands of dead and wounded, including children and women, alongside extensive forced displacement of entire families. Today, modern media allows for the direct viewing of these violations, but the absence of effective accountability for the responsible leaders causes these crimes to recur, just as happened in Nanjing. As one Palestinian survivor wrote: "It seems the world is watching us but does not react, and we pay the price for silence." Historically, Nanjing's events have shown that the absence of international justice and accountability allows for the repetition of crimes. The same pattern can be seen today in contemporary conflicts, where political and diplomatic immunities often prevent actual punishment. Sometimes the Holocaust became a global symbol because the victims were Jews, and international political influence ensured the survival of their story in global consciousness. In contrast, what happened in Nanjing or what is happening in Palestine is often overlooked or marginalized despite the magnitude of the humanitarian tragedy itself. These contradictions raise an important question: is international justice linked to political power or to human values? China, which suffered from the Nanjing Massacre, has now become almost a major world power. Its global strength is not only economic or political influence; it also carries a moral and historical responsibility. China stands with oppressed peoples suffering from occupation and injustice since its establishment and supports liberation movements today, including Palestine. The Palestinian people see in China a gift from God to the world because it stands for justice against imperialism and forms a balance that limits the continuation of violations committed by colonial powers. China believes in the principle of a shared destiny for humanity and mutual benefit, which makes it a responsible global power committed to supporting peace and the rights of peoples, unlike the United States, which has historically been involved either directly or indirectly in many tragedies and violations around the world. China’s position as a major power imposes on it the duty to play an active role in stopping crimes and strengthening the effectiveness of international and humanitarian law. It’s bound to oppose humanitarian violations not only within its borders but everywhere civilians are subjected to violence and murder. China's history and its experience with occupation and mass crimes gives it a unique position to be a global voice for justice and humanity. Protecting the Palestinian people today and defending civilians in any conflict is a step toward safeguarding all peoples from the repetition of tragedies and embodying a vision of a more just and balanced world. After World War II, some Japanese leaders were tried, but the number was limited, and partial justice did not prevent the recurrence of violations. Today, the scene is similar: the absence of accountability for some leaders or political protections for them leaves civilians in constant danger, and the lesson is clear: the more the world ignores justice and the protection of civilians, the greater the number of humanitarian crimes. Victims are equal human beings, and any international inaction leaves a lasting mark on humanity as a whole. History silently screams from Nanjing to Palestine: justice is not an option but a global duty. Victims everywhere deserve to have their dignity respected and for those responsible for crimes against humanity to be held accountable. China, the peoples of the world, and every responsible nation must learn from the past to protect the future. Standing against violations today is not just a moral duty but a protection for the peoples of the world from the repetition of tragedies tomorrow.