Much has been said about the violations of international law in Iraq, but little has been done.

True, every once in a while a foot soldier is prosecuted and some even get convicted with a light sentence. Neither the number of prosecutions nor the sentences, however, are proportionate to the widespread and serious nature of the war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The war itself has been criticised as illegal - a violation of one of the most basic principle of international law that prohibits the use of force and the international crime of aggression - by the overwhelming majority of states and lawyers. Despite clear evidence that an international crime has been committed, no action has been taken.

Instead international justice is used against people who have been the victims of these criminal acts and to prosecute the nationals of only the weakest states. When will we learn that the real test of our commitment to the rule of law depends on our applying the law to the most serious criminals, especially those from the strongest states.

The writer is attached to An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.