by MARGARET KIMBERLEY
The Biden administration colluded with Israel to slander the United Nations Relief Works Agency for Palestine in anticipation of the ICJ ruling against Israel on the charge of genocide. Washington is attempting to cover up genocide by committing the war crime of collective punishment against the people of Gaza.
On December 29, 2023, the Republic of South Africa charged Israel with violating the United Nation’s Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in regards to its assault on the population of Gaza. On January 26, 2024 the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that claims of genocide against Israel are plausible and that the killing of Palestinians in Gaza must end. Despite attempts to obfuscate or to claim an Israeli victory, the meaning of the court ruling could not have been clearer.
The ICJ did not use the word “ceasefire” as many people had hoped, but judges did say that the killing must stop. The court did not dismiss the case as Israel asked it to do. All of the parsing in the world cannot dispute the court’s determination.
The Court considers that, with regard to the situation described above, Israel must, in accordance with its obligations under the Genocide Convention, in relation to Palestinians in Gaza, take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of this Convention, in particular: (a) killing members of the group; (b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; and (d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group. The Court recalls that these acts fall within the scope of Article II of the Convention when they are committed with the intent to destroy in whole or in part a group as such (see paragraph 44 above). The Court further considers that Israel must ensure with immediate effect that its military forces do not commit any of the above-described acts.
The Court is also of the view that Israel must take all measures within its power to prevent and punish the direct and public incitement to commit genocide in relation to members of the Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip. (Emphasis mine)
Even if one cannot read and understand the ruling, the defeat of Israel is made even clearer by actions of the United States and its allies. On the very day that the ICJ issued its ruling, the State Department announced that the U.S. would temporarily suspend funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) because of Israel’s allegation that 12 UNRWA employees participated in the Hamas military action of October 7. The State Department action was quickly followed by similar announcements from the UK, Canada, and the European Union, who followed along like the obedient vassals that they are.
It is interesting that Secretary of State Antony Blinken praised the UNRWA after October 7. On November 5, 2023 he posted the following on the X social media platform. “During my visit to Jordan, I spoke with @UNRWA staff in Gaza. I heard about the extraordinary lifesaving work they are doing in the face of extremely difficult conditions. We are working to expedite assistance to them so that they can get it to the Palestinian people.”
By Blinken’s own admission, the absence of U.S. funding ensures that Palestinians in Gaza will go hungry. The U.S. action is in itself a war crime. Withholding food and other aid is a form of collective punishment , in this case because of the alleged actions of twelve people.
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