ICJ ruling indicts US, UK, Germany
By Pepe Escobar
Let’s cut to the chase:
By 15-2, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has just ruled in favor of BRICS member South Africa, and ordered Israel to take all necessary measures to prevent a genocide in Gaza.
When it comes to the most scrutinized genocide ever, followed 24/7 by every smartphone on the planet, it’s fair to argue that South Africa has just scored an astonishing win against Zionism.
And yet, as a Global Cynic Armada argues, in practical terms there has been no call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Of course it may also be argued that calling for a ceasefire only applies to a war – as in the case of the proxy war in Ukraine. Gaza is a case of genocide of an indigenous population perpetrated by an occupying power. That calls for an immediate halt to all genocidal acts. Essentially this is what the ICJ has ordered.
The South African Foreign Ministry has noted that “if one reads the sentence, it’s implicit” that a ceasefire must be imposed.
The inestimable former British ambassador Craig Murray has noted that “after an extremely damning exposition of the facts by South Africa”, powerfully “and meticulously well stated”, conclusions were inevitable.
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These are the highlights:
“The military operation conducted by Israel in Gaza has resulted in untold death and injuries, destroyed substantial infrastructure and housing units, caused mass malnutrition, collapsed the healthcare system, and displaced the majority of its inhabitants. This war has affected the entire population of Gaza and will have far lasting consequences. The court has taken note of the language of dehumanization by senior Israeli government officials.”
Hence the ICJ “accepts the South African demand for urgent provisional measures to be taken for the protection of Palestinians in Gaza against Israel and recommends” (italics mine) the following:
By 15-2: “The state of Israel shall take all measures to prevent the commission of genocide to Gaza.”
By 15-2: “The state of Israel shall ensure that the military not commit any acts of genocide.”
By 16-1: “Israel shall take all measures to punish all public solicitations to genocide.”
By 16-1: “Israel shall take immediate and effective measures to address adverse conditions to life in the Gaza Strip”.
By 15-2: “Israel shall take effective measures to preserve evidence of actions impacting the Genocide Convention.”
By 15-2: “Israel shall submit to the court a report of all measures taken to follow the orders of this court within one month.”
The Houthis and the Genocide Convention
The ICJ decision is binding (italics mine). Yet even as the ICJ decided that Israel must “take all measures to prevent death and injury”, and provide for all Palestinian humanitarian needs (including access to food, medicine, infrastructure), what happens if Tel Aviv simply ignores the decision?
Even considering that Israel must file a report on the remedial actions within one month of the ruling, all bets are off on whether biblical psychopathy practitioners will comply.
The answer came fast. Israel’s National Security Minister Ben Gvir, a cartoonish candidate for the role of out of control psycho in a cheap horror flick, stated that “the decision of the antisemitic court in The Hague proves what was already known: This court does not seek justice, but rather the persecution of Jewish people. They were silent during the Holocaust and today they continue the hypocrisy and take it another step further.”
Psychos don’t do history. The ICJ in its current iteration was founded in 1945.
What the ICJ ruling certainly did was de facto legitimize the moral strength of the Houthis supporting “our people” in Gaza.
And this while the US and the UK are spinning across the Global South that they must strike against the Houthis, whose policy of defending Palestine translates as upholding the Genocide Convention. The US and the UK cynically evoke the necessity to “protect international law.”
The overwhelming majority of the Global South instead interprets it as a peacekeeping force upholding the Genocide Convention – the Houthis – attacked by the rogue purveyors of the “rules-based international order”.
In parallel, a crucial point has been underlined by crack international lawyer Juan Branco. France currently presides the UN Security Council. According to Article 94.2 of the UN Charter: by South Africa’s request, the UN must (italics mine) force Israel to apply the ICJ ruling.
No one should count on trashy Macronist France to do the right thing.
The killing won’t stop
From the Global South’s point of view, it’s no less than appalling that an African, Ugandan judge Julia Sebutinde, opposed all the provisional measures requested by South Africa against Israel.
As the ICJ ruled that “Israel’s actions in Gaza may (italics mine) constitute genocide with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a specific ethnic group – the Palestinians”, it logically follows that US complicity with Israel amounts to US complicity in the genocide of Palestinians.
The ICJ ruling in fact indicts US, UK, Germany and other collective West members who all stated that the South African case is “without legal merit” and should be thrown out.
So it’s no wonder that a team of 47 South African lawyers is already preparing a lawsuit against the US and UK for complicity.
Whatever happens next, the hyper-committed Global Cynic Armada will not relent. The ICJ ordering Israel to “take all measures to prevent death and injury” certainly can be interpreted as calling for a ceasefire, without mentioning the magic word.
But what the Global Cynic Armada really sees is four interlinked toxic items: No ceasefire; kill the Palestinians, but softly; feed them before you kill them; and you still have one full month to engage in widespread killing.
As much as the ICJ may be dismissed as a collective West farce, the fact is the ruling explicitly calls for Israel to stop the killing. One may argue that the ICJ did the absolute maximum of what it can possibly do under its jurisdiction and procedures.
Yet considering that the ICJ has less than zero ways to enforce its ruling – it depends on the hyper-corrupt UN – the Global Cynic Armada may have got the grim picture right: the killing won’t stop.
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Comments
24 responses to “South Africa scored an astonishing win against Zionism”
Dynamite work by Pepe, as always.
Wow, I am absolutely thrilled to hear about South Africa’s incredible victory against Zionism! It’s so inspiring to see the power of unity and determination. Congrats to the team, and may this success pave the way for more positive change.
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Its pointless.
Have to agree, as long as Israhell exist !!!!
Meaningless,totally.until action is taken against isn’treal.
Chris, what you say is true. This travesty of justice has been going on for over 70 years and nothing has been done about it.
Nothing will happen as always all talk no action
Some points, 1. South Africa called Zionist state an Apartheid state during Nelson Mandela and used the word Genocide from that time, so this has nothing to do with BRICS. 2. Until today Russia and China not even once called the event in Gaza as Genocide. 3. Until today Russia and China have not even once used the word Apartheid state for Israel. 3. I know for fact that Russia and China have ensured Israel that they don’t look Positive to the Genocide case presented by South Africa. 4. Until today Russia and China are engaged in economics transports with Israel as usual. 4. The so called BRICS new world order is the continuation of the same “shit” as before!
Thanks for that. Sobering facts, I presume. I hope you’re being strictly factual, because I cannot verify it without a lot of research.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsm99krHbvg
This is a video series made by John McCarthy about the archaeology of the “holy land.” What we haave been led to believe about that place is not quite true.
Ancient Israel had no Jews or Hebrews in it – and it kept tight borders against the South and Judah – with The Bull – a fertility symbol – at the entrance to their territory.
Palestine had Semitic Jews but had very few white Jews until the white supremists Jews from the EU, Russia, and US showed up recently.
The ICJ has ruled that humanitarian aid must reach Palestinians. Escobar wonders “what happens if Tel Aviv simply ignores the decision?” He goes on to suggest Israel and its backers will adopt a policy of “feed them before you kill them.”
Wrong. The Zionists’ and imperialists’ response is more starvation – “don’t feed’em, just kill’em.” The US, Australia, Canada, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Finland (so far) have suspended funding to the main organisation delivering and distributing humanitarian aid in Gaza, and solely on the basis of vague allegations with no publicly available evidence, despite the contracts of the UNRWA workers in question having already been terminated.
In other words, never mind what the ICJ says, they want the genocide intensified.
Meantime ha$bara c€ntra£ swings its sights from the demonised Hamas resistance to UNRWA, as messianic misdirection uber a££€$ reigns supreme under the resurrected Sanhedrin temple racKKKeteers and their debt-trap $tructura£ adjU$tm€nt white-co££ar mob$ters.
Who needs Netflix?
It’s more than mere propaganda, though the BBC, NYT, and no doubt other MSM outlets have replaced the ICJ ruling with these allegations as their main Israel/Gaza story, despite their vagueness and lack of evidence..
‘“Suspension of funds threatens humanitarian work in the region, especially in Gaza,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement late on Saturday, urging countries who have frozen funding to “reconsider their decisions” as Gaza faces the risk of mass starvation.’
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/27/palestinians-slam-suspension-of-unrwa-funding-by-some-western-nations
Mass starvation may well be the main point of these allegations and their acceptance by a gang of imperialist pro-Zionists.
the USA , UK and German representatives and others claimed the case had no merit and should be thrown out. This in a matter where millions of ordinary people around the world could recognise a genocide when they saw one. The people have been proven right. In a matter as clear as this, for those representatives to have no inkling what was really happening, tells us that they are all totally unfit to hold office and should either fall on their sword or be kicked out from their positions. Their ignorance or prejudice makes them a danger to the whole world.
Yes indeed, and the Doomsday Clock advances.
I’m not so sure, Pepe. My guess is that you suffer from wishful thinking.
By 15-2: “The state of Israel shall take all measures to prevent the commission of genocide to Gaza.”
This is saying that Israel is not yet committing genocide and that it better watch out should it go that far. Big deal.
I think the Court is only looking for a way to look respectable, while at the same time providing no real obstacle to the Fascist Jewish State fulfillment of the original intentions of the first Zionist Jews. We are seeing the “other means” Ben Gurion meant in his letter to his son Amos. Google it.
Israel has been committing genocide for over 70 years. The UN and other world agencies have called them on it more than once. Nothing has ever done about it.
South Africa has shown other countries to say no to bullies and oppressor.
I would like to say to the author, Good article but stupid and pointless ending.
“Accept if you actually like to hurt your Palestinian readers”
Here something I wrote
https://mywisdom.substack.com/p/the-crash
The outcome is not surprising. All UN agencies and Western “NGOs” are owned and controlled by Jews, just like all US-led regimes. The UN is imperialism most despicable instrument.
Apparently the Jews in WW 2 did not have their God help them at all . Today we see that the zionists seem to be murdering as many Gazans as quickly as possible. Who is your savior Netanyahu: God—or the Devil? But alas, we already know the answer to that. And Joe Biden and Blinken too—how’s that murdering of Palestinians working for you?
And Trump—let’s not forget the man who is losing his mind—-sigh—-ah yes, the poem:
“This is the way the world ends—not with a bang—with a whimper. ”
Humanity —you are failing again. : (
The World is going down the tubes!!! Will we ever recover???
The ICJ whimped-out and has shown the world who OWNS and CONTROLS the judges on the panels. What a bunch of arse-kissing legal dropkicks.