Twenty years after the International Court of Justice issued an Advisory Opinion on Israel’s Separation Wall, the ICJ is now considering the legality of Israel’s 56-year belligerent occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The attack on UNRWA by Israel and its Western allies is an assault on the credibility of international legal and humanitarian bodies. Cutting UNRWA’s funding deepens the Biden administration’s complicity in the Gaza genocide.
Some have argued that the ICJ ruling on the Gaza genocide proves that international law is a tool of the dominant, too corrupted by the great powers to achieve true justice. But the ICJ offered a way of isolating Israel, and that is a source of hope.
The International Court of Justice’s genocide ruling shows Israel is no longer viewed as the eternal victim, and the Holocaust no longer shields it from scrutiny for the most grave crimes against humanity.
The International Court of Justice rules that it is “plausible” Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza. Meanwhile, the West debates what term to use for this historical savagery. Even as it sends shells and blessings to the Israeli bombers.
At least five countries have pulled their funding from the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees over Israeli claims that staff members participated in the October 7 attack. Israel keeps killing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
While the court stopped short of calling for a ceasefire, Israel is ordered to allow aid into Gaza, punish incitement to genocide, and take more protective measures for civilians – even as the situation on the ground remains cataclysmic.
In a historic ruling against Israel for apparent acts of genocide, the International Court of Justice called on Israel to immediately prevent genocidal acts in Gaza and punish calls for incitement. The case against Israel will now move forward.
The week, a federal court in Oakland will begin hearing arguments in a lawsuit accusing the Biden administration of failing to prevent a genocide in Gaza. The case could bring U.S. support for the Israeli assault on Gaza to a halt.
Do not judge the International Court of Justice solely by whether it calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. Much more important is whether it finds South Africa’s genocide allegations deserve a full hearing.