BAGHDAD (Dispatches) – Iraq’s prominent Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has expressed deep regret over the international community’s inability to adopt effective measures aimed at stopping ongoing atrocities by the Zionist regime in Lebanon and the besieged Gaza Strip.
During a meeting with Mohamed al-Hassan, the UN special representative for Iraq and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), in the holy city of Najaf on Monday, the top cleric deplored the unfolding tragedies in Lebanon and Gaza.
He lamented the inability of the international community and relevant institutions to take practical steps, stop the brutalities, and protect civilians against the repercussions of the naked aggression being carried out by the Zionist entity.
Grand Ayatollah Sistani also welcomed UNAMI’s presence in Iraq and wished it success in carrying out its duties, while pointing to “daunting challenges that Iraq is currently facing and the suffering of its people on multiple levels.” 
“Iraqis, particularly the elites, should learn from their past experiences, exert maximum efforts to overcome their failures, and work diligently toward creating a better future for their country where everyone can enjoy security, stability, progress, and prosperity,” he stated.
Grand Ayatollah Sistani emphasized that “this cannot be achieved without devising scientific and practical plans to manage state affairs on the basis of competence and meritocracy, preventing foreign intervention in all forms, enforcing the rule of law, restricting weapons to state control, and fighting corruption at all levels.”
The Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor also slammed the international community over its “shameful” failure to stop the Zionist regime’s genocide against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the group said the European Union (EU), International Criminal Court (ICC), and International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as various United Nations bodies “have neglected their fundamental duty to safeguard civilian life and stop Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.”
The statement noted that the failure of the international community to implement “decisive” actions against the Zionist regime’s atrocities “exposes a stark disregard for Palestinian lives and dignity, and fuels the continuation of its crime of genocide.”
The statement attributed the failure to “political calculations and the influence of powerful nations complicit in the genocide”, in an apparent reference to Israel’s closest ally, the U.S. and other Western countries.
“Under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, Israel has committed genocide in Gaza since 7 October 2023, with the US and Europe complicit by supplying weapons used to massacre Palestinian civilians and demolish their homes.”
The group noted that the international community and justice mechanisms “have largely turned a blind eye” to Israel’s atrocities.
“At most, some entities have issued weak statements that fail to acknowledge the crimes accurately, emboldening Israel to escalate its offenses with US and European support and armament.”