THE BIGGEST COUNTRIES in the world yesterday stood up for Iran and for the people of Palestine. The attack on Iran is illegal, they declared. And Palestinians need justice. But western mainstream media outlets ran an astonishing news blackout on the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, with most outlets giving it zero coverage. . ATTACK VIOLATES INTERNATIONAL LAW Leaders of China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Iran and other countries declared that the US attacks on Iran “violate the UN Charter and the principles and norms of international law, posing a serious risk to world peace, security, and stability”. The lack of coverage from most western mainstream media outlets is bizarre. The SCO is more than three times the size of NATO. The pro-peace Eastern organization covers 42.5 per cent of humanity, compared to NATO’s 13 per cent. . MODI SIGNED While China is seen as the de facto leader of the organization, much of the attention was on India’s Narendra Modi, who has been cozying up to Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu And Turkey’s leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has also been trying to play both sides. But both turned up and signed the declaration. . MOURNING THE DEAD Leaders at the huge gathering of nations also used the opportunity to condemn the murder of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei and his family by the United States and Israel. In an unprovoked attack on 28 February this year, they killed 40 people, including the leader’s granddaughter Zahra, aged 14 months. Other victims, the same day, included 120 children at a primary school. . NO MILITARY ANGLE Participants also reminded the world of the difference in character between itself and NATO. NATO focuses on diverting public cash to weapons and the military. SCO is non-military, and promotes friendly relations between countries through mutually beneficial trade and shared pro-peace policies. . .