International Court of Justice says BDS against Israel is an obligation on governments
You could be forgiven if you missed the recent International Court of Justice advisory opinion that Israel’s long-standing occupation of Palestine is illegal. The landmark ruling sank without trace here and aside from an anaemic tweet from the Minister of Foreign Affairs has barely caused a ripple in official circles.
However, the Court’s 19 July decision is a watershed in holding Israel to account for its numerous breaches of international law and United Nations resolutions and while western governments prefer to look the other way, this is no longer tenable.
The ICJ has found not only that Israel’s 57-year occupation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is illegal but that BDS (Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions) are an obligation on governments to impose on Israel.
The wording is unambiguous. The ICJ says “The State of Israel’s continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is unlawful [and it] is under an obligation to bring to an end its unlawful presence … as rapidly as possible” and goes on to say “All States are under an obligation not to recognise as legal the situation arising from the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the [Occupied Palestinian Territory] and not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the continued presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”
Not rendering “aid or assistance” to Israel to continue its illegal occupation means our government must re-evaluate its entire relationship with Israel. For a start government investments in companies profiting from Israel’s illegal occupation must be withdrawn; imports or procurement of services from companies in the illegally-occupied Palestinian territories must be stopped and visas for young Israelis coming to New Zealand after serving in support of Israel’s illegal occupation must cease.
A host of other government policies to impose BDS sanctions against Israel must follow – the type of sanctions we imposed against Russia for its invasion and occupation of parts of Ukraine.
This ICJ ruling comes as western governments such as New Zealand shamefully provide political cover for Israel’s illegal occupation and wholesale slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. Most of the victims are women and children.
By April Israel had dropped over 70,000 tons of bombs on Gaza, surpassing the bombing of Dresden, Hamburg, and London combined during World War II, in one of the most densely populated areas in the world.
Israel has killed the equivalent of all the children in more than 100 average sized New Zealand primary schools and yet our Prime Minister has refused to condemn this slaughter, refused to call for an immediate, permanent ceasefire or join South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
Our Prime Minister describes the situation in Gaza as catastrophic but refuses to utter a single word of condemnation of Israel. Mr Luxon has replaced principled political action with bluff and bluster.
The gap between what our government does and what international law demands is a widening chasm.
Gaza exists as an illegally occupied and densely populated area because Israeli militias conducted a massive ethnic cleansing of Palestinians from 1947 to 1949 to artificially create a majority Jewish state on Palestinian land.
80% of Gazans are descendants of the victims of this ethnic cleansing.
Under cover of its war on Gaza, Israel’s ethnic cleansing continues today in the occupied West Bank. Illegal Israeli settlers, with the backing of Israeli Occupation Forces are driving Palestinians off their land. Numerous Palestinian towns and rural communities have been attacked in pogroms with arson, looting and killing leaving “depopulated” areas behind for Israel to settle. There are now over 700,000 illegal Israeli settlers in more than 200 settlements and settlement outposts on Palestinian land in the occupied territories of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
It is these settlers and settlements the International Court of Justice has declared illegal.
As well as responsibilities on individual states to end support for Israel’s illegal occupation, the ICJ ruling says the world should take collective action requesting “The UN, and especially the General Assembly … and the Security Council, should consider the precise modalities and further action required to bring to an end as rapidly as possible the unlawful presence of the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
New Zealand must regain its moral courage and become a leader in helping end the longest-running military occupation in modern history.
Oh God, our supreme luminary, please help us to regain our moral sense against this material, vengeful, competitive world to which we have our own inner powers of intellect to draw on to overcome. Help us to want and believe that we can solve our difficulties with thought. compromise, forgiveness, restorative justice, and trading nous, with fair treatment for the aggrieved and moral sense pervading with honest assistance to rebuild lives and a level of trust with previous ill-doers. Perfect trust can never be achieved, but we need to limit fear and avarice in ourselves and be alert to such in others. So please help us God, we have a hard row to hoe, in common human terms, and need to do better, individually, as separate groups, nations, and in our revered leaders of the military, political and particularly the religious.
Prayer for a complicated world becoming too mechanised and artificial, beyond human. Real heart, not sentimental arousings is required in the 21st century. So when?… 2024?… 2025… 2026… 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031….?? Then do we fall burned, or twisted, like dry leaves on the ground, emaciated or bloated by a virus that wrenches at the body’s systems to failure; ending perhaps with a mechanical digger first making a huge pit, and then shovelling human forms into it. Like was done during the Nazi enslavement in WW2 and before down the centuries.
Is this how we end with a sob and a sigh, a scream and an upwelling of disgust and horror.
Are we so complacent, as we plan the redecorating of our sitting rooms, and how to let the garage after a coat of paint, for another $50 a week to a needy family, so kind of us etc etc… Is that how you, your family, your neighbours, club members, sports team … are?
We can go back to the start of 2001 Space Odyssey then. All the other features of our lives are add-ons to the basic human who hasn’t really evolved much at all:
Gorillas – space https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avjdKTqiVvQ
At the end of 2001.. the computer system AI? HAL features largely – most commenters don’t understand the story line, taking the simplest views with no thought of subtleties.
This from Reddit commenter makes interesting points.
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/53tm6n/in_2001_a_space_odyssey_what_was_the_point_of_the/
AudibleNod 8 yr. ago
I’d also like to add that HAL, as a character, displays the most emotion of the Discovery crew. Now, hear me out. Bowman and Poole go through the plot largely free of emotion. They are polite, considerate but not emotive. Poole received a birthday video and barely reacts. Bowman loses a game of chess and merely acknowledges the loss. Even their discussion in the Pod is rather cool and collected. Conversely, HAL, when nearing deactivation (death), pleads with Bowman and expresses itself to have fear. The tone of its voice doesn’t change but the pleading is sincere. Throughout the whole scene Bowman is task driven, robot-like. I’ve flipflopped as to what this ‘means’ but I can say it’s deliberate.
Are we near our ending on earth as a species, having learned nothing lasting from all the thinking and treatises put down by our elders and forebears? In 2001 the giant computer has more emotion and attachment to being, than the people on the spaceship, and is more questioning than they are, more aware.
I think our questing should continue and our being is dependent on it so keep up John Minto, we are still talking and thinking that’s something. But how to act wisely and effectively, and how to replace leaders once they have hammered their way into their roles and proceed with ever more devastation??
Christians support the killing and occupation because the scriptures say the land belongs to the israelites.
This is the christians last stand against evil and to fulfil the prophecy of the bible.
Is thou shalt not kill still relevant today? Christians can find a way around this.
Where are the combined churches of NZ? Funny they stand united against the treaty principles bill. Good cause for sure but vomit inducing hypocracy.
The church in NZ is weak and they lack true christian leadership. Where are the true followers of God?
If you are christian, ask yourself-would jesus kill these children (I seem to recall he loved children?)
If you support the killing, you will not be entering the kingdom of God and having eternal life.
The choice is yours-Be warned, do not follow false prophets in the church.
There are many true christians in Israel.
While I agree with your article there’s not much chance of the ideas getting widespread support while all the deluded religious types hold onto false explanations of prophecy mostly because they have been deceived into thinking they will get a second chance, they want the cake now and think that they can straighten up when required to be saved. Once the plagues hit them they will learn how wrong they are.
Interesting that food brands especially ultra processed cancer causing delicacies are not labelled with a country of actual origin because their labs could be anywhere
https://bdsmovement.net/BlockTheBoat-The-Live-Blog
https://www.balticshipping.com/vessel/imo/9570620
https://www.google.com/maps/place/St+John's+Harbour/@50.0753615,-59.3731715,5.85z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x4b0ca3b9d634ed0f:0x538471ae91837789!8m2!3d47.5645765!4d-52.7001562!16s%2Fg%2F1vzg1v57?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
The gap between what our government does and reality is a widening chasm.