I have fantasies of Netanyahu and his co-thugs finding themselves in a modern version of Dante’s purgatory – Gaza, to be precise – alive, it is true, but injured: broken bones, burns, cuts and bruises, but no doctors, no pain killers, no food, no water, no clean clothes, no toilets, …
Netanyahu and his cut-throats have just bamboozled 11 nations into discontinuing support to UNRWA. There can be absolutely no earthly reason for doing so, other than to make an even more concerted effort to prevent Gazans from surviving the hell they are in. There are tens of thousands of people working for UNRWA. Using the crimes that may possibly have been committed by a few individuals as a pretext to hasten the demise of the Gazans seems sleazy, to say the least.
The UN agency has long been under attack from Israel. …
Gunness, the former UNRWA spokesman, said there is a “coordinated political attack” on the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees. “The Israelis have said they cannot win the war on Gaza unless UNRWA is disbanded. So what clearer signal do you want?” he told Al Jazeera on Sunday.
The countries who have availed themselves of the sleazy pretext are: Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland, as well as, of course, the USA
Responsible Statecraft the outlet of the Quincy institute writes about the ICJ ruling:
This ruling may also boost those arguing that all states that are party to the Genocide Convention have a positive obligation to prevent genocide. The Houthis, for instance, have justified their attacks against ships heading to Israeli ports in the Red Sea, citing this positive obligation. What legal implications will the court’s ruling have as a result on the U.S. and UK’s military action against the Houthis?
The implications for Europe will also be considerable. The U.S. is rather accustomed to and comfortable with setting aside international law and ignoring international institutions. Europe is not.
International law and institutions play a much more central role in European security thinking. The decision will continue to split Europe. But the fact that some key EU states will reject the ICJ’s ruling will profoundly contradict and undermine Europe’s broader security paradigm.
Meanwhile back in the mainstream media today:
Reuters:
Nothing about Gaza. But “Three US service members killed, 34 wounded in Jordan drone attack linked to Iran”.
AFP:
“Israeli protesters blocked humanitarian aid trucks from entering the war-torn Gaza Strip on Sunday, forcing the lorries to turn around at a crossing with the Palestinian territory.”
UPI:
“Crews safe, fire extinguished on British oil tanker after Houthi rebel attack”
“Thousands mark Holocaust Remembrance Day amid marches in Germany, Italy”
“Israelis lay siege to Khan Younis“
That last one looks promising. But no, not a word about civilians.
AP, however, is picking up now. They are highlighting the importance of UNRWA’s humanitarian work. However AP still has a long way to go as it despairs over disruption to trade due to the Houthi attacks. They just don’t get the picture, do they.
However, one group shines a small but very bright light, from the USA, no less:
Jewish Voice for Peace – Rabbinical Council
The letter from American rabbis to President Biden, which urgently demands “a ceasefire now”, starts with the following words:
“Dear President Biden,
As American rabbis, we write to you with deep sorrow and fury.” [my highlight]
It’s an important letter, and a brave one. I take the liberty of quoting parts of it:
We support and uplift South Africa’s recent application to the International Court of Justice claiming Israel is in breach of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. And now, Palestinian human rights organizations, together with Palestinians in the US and Gaza, are bringing a case against your administration for failure to prevent, and complicity in, the Israeli government’s unfolding genocide against them, their families, and the 2.2 million Palestinians in Gaza. We stand in support of their action as well.
…
On this day of remembrance in 2021, you noted that, “The Holocaust was no accident of history.” As you stated, “It occurred because too many governments cold-bloodedly adopted and implemented hate-fueled laws, policies, and practices to vilify and dehumanize entire groups of people, and too many individuals stood by silently. Silence is complicity.”
President Biden, what is happening right now in Gaza is no accident of history — and your complicity has been anything but silent. We call upon you to be true to your word and end U.S. complicity in Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.