International Court of Justice decision makes clear all signatory countries to the genocide convention – which includes New Zealand – must be part of preventing genocide in Gaza

By
John Minto
-
27
1103

The International Court of Justice decision early this morning is a step towards accountability for Israel and justice for Palestinians.

The Court has ordered Israel to prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians and provide critical assistance to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It has also said accountability to the genocide convention relies on all countries of the world to play their part.

The onus is now on Israel and its small coterie of supporters – including New Zealand which has been complicit through its silence – to end the war in Gaza.

Previously Israel has ignored ICJ rulings as it did in 2003 when the court ruled Israel’s infamous “apartheid wall” across the Palestinian territories was illegal under international law. This must not happen now.

New Zealand must now pile the pressure on Israel. To do this we must bring our policy in line with the intention of the ICJ decision namely.

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  • Condemn Israel’s indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza – just as we condemned the killing of Israeli civilians in the October 7th attack on Israel
  • Call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza
  • Condemn the war crimes of collective punishment, forced displacement and denial of food, water and fuel to Palestinians in Gaza
  • Demand the unimpeded humanitarian aid to the people living in Gaza

In 2014 when Israel launched war on Gaza the John Key government called in the Israeli ambassador and made clear New Zealand’s expectations. The Christoper Luxon led government has failed to take even this most basic measure of accountability for Israel.

It is past time for doing that. The government must close the Israeli embassy till Israel is in full compliance with the ICJ decision and the broader provisions of international law such as allowing Palestinian refugees the right to return to their land and homes in Palestine, ending the military occupation of Palestine and ending Israel’s apartheid policies against Palestinians.

PSNA protests around the country this weekend in 23 centres will be calling for this.

27 COMMENTS

  1. nz RACIST GOVERNMENT WILL DO FUCK ALL .We moan about Chinas human rights but support the USA lead to allow ethnic cleansing in Gazza .The USA could stop suppling arms to Israel today and change the whole Middle east in a short time by doing so .

  2. If the yanks turned off the cash and arms gusher to the Israeli butchers, they would be gone by lunchtime.

    So, US needs pressure and everyone against the brutal genocide in Gaza can “boycott hard”-hit the Zionists where it hurts-economically.

  3. While I agree with your campaign Isreal has ignored the clear instructions in the Word of God (The Highest Power) for 3000 years so they will only make token moves at best that are almost meaningless compared to the damage they have caused.

    • Those with something between their ears know it is genocide and ethnic cleansing, the Zionists doing what was done to them – that horrific event, the holocaust.

    • Appreciate we have to hide behind nice neat definitions of words for legal proceedings, but what would you call it Jack when an estimated 70%+ of casualties are women and children? Misread the instruction manual, lousy shot, legally blind, operators orthodox ringlets impeded proper use of the targeting system?

      I don’t care what it’s called but it’s not collateral damage. At a minimum it is negligence on purpose.

  6. Instead, the zionist Luxon regime is doubling down on supporting their foreign bosses in wiping out the human population of Palestine.

  8. No NZ support for war in the Middle East.

    Bring our NZDF targetters home!

    “shades of Iraq”
    https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/507385/nzdf-mission-in-red-sea-has-shades-of-iraq-labour

    The Labour Party is condemning the coalition government’s deployment of Defence Force troops to the Middle East, saying it has “shades of Iraq”….

    “We don’t think we should become embroiled in that conflict … which is part of a longer term civil war in Yemen and we think that New Zealand should stay out of this, there’s no UN resolution in favour of it … we don’t think we should get involved in a conflict in the Middle East.”
    Labour Partyy foreign affairs spokesperson David Parker….

    “horrified at this government’s decision to further inflame tensions in the Middle East”. Green Party leaders, Marama Davidson and James Shaw

    PREVENTING GENOCIDE
    https://www.un.org/en/preventgenocide/rwanda/pdf/bgpreventgenocide.pdf

    On 7 April 2004, the tenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan outlined a five-point action plan for preventing genocide:
    1. Prevent armed conflict, which usually provides the context for genocide;
    2. Protect civilians in armed conflict, including through UN peacekeepers;
    3. End impunity through judicial action in national and international courts;
    4. Gather information and set up an early-warning system
    5. Take swift and decisive action, including military action.*

    *(My emphasis).

    The ICJ has ruled that there is enough evidence, to try the state of Israel for committing breaches of the Genocide Convention against the Palestinian civilian population of Gaza. 

    Palestinian allies the Houthi rulers of Yemen have vowed to block all shipping through the Red Sea until the war in Gaza is stopped.
    https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/19/yemens-houthis-will-not-stop-red-sea-attacks-until-israel-stops-gaza-war

    The Houthis would only halt their attacks if Israel’s “crimes in Gaza stop and food, medicines and fuel are allowed to reach its besieged population”,

    As a general principal I don’t support the unilateral military action by Yemen’s Houthi rulers to attack shipping in the Red Sea to put pressure on the state of Israel and its allies to prevent genocide in Gaza.

    Technically, according to the Genocide Convention Yemen’s Houthi rulers are within their rights to ‘take swift and decisive action, including military action’, to prevent genocide’.

    There is no technical, moral, or legal basis, for Western nations, including New Zealand, to attack Yemen. Especially as none of these Western nations have taken any action to prevent genocide from being committed in Gaza by the state of Israel.  

    None of the Western Nations attacking Yemen, including New Zealand did anything when Israel conducted a deadly attack on civilian shipping in international waters. And still continues to violently attack aid vessels attempting to break Israel’s illegal siege of Gaza.

    Gaza Flotilla Raid
    Coordinates: 32.64113°N 33.56727°E

    From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaza_flotilla_raid

    The Gaza flotilla raid was a military operation by Israel against six civilian ships of the “Gaza Freedom Flotilla” on 31 May 2010 in international waters in the Mediterranean Sea. Nine activists were killed, some in the back of the head and at close range,[1]

    ICJ Interim Ruling

    On 26 January 2024 The International Court of Justice released its determination that the state of Israel has a case to answer to on the charge of committing genocide in Gaza.

    The International Court of Justice’s Interim Measures to Prevent Genocide in Gaza
    https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-international-court-of-justice's-interim-measures-to-prevent-genocide-in-gaza#

    The interim order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case brought by South Africa requires Israel to take provisional measures to prevent acts of genocide and ensure humanitarian access to the population of Gaza….

    John Minto lists four measures that this country needs to take to fulfill our obligations as a signatory to the convention;
    1. Condemn Israel’s indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza
    2. Call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza
    3. Condemn the war crimes of collective punishment, forced displacement and denial of food, water and fuel to Palestinians in Gaza
    4. Demand the unimpeded humanitarian aid to the people living in Gaza

    I would like to add one more measure this country needs to take to fulfill our obligations as a signatory to the Genocide Convention. 

    5. Bring our NZDF targetters home.

  9. New Zealand has already voted for a humanitarian truce Oct 27th and for a cease-fire on Dec 12.

    The government should just call for Israel to abide by the interim decision of the ICJ with any continuance of military action and otherwise advise Israel to consider a permanent cease-fire in return for the release of hostages.

    • If Israel continues the occupation it will become so brital we are now justified in calling Jews Nazis. Israel has gone so far right it’s more brutal than Nazis. You may not like it or even recognise that it’s happening but it’s happening and it doesn’t go away just because you don’t like it.

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