Recent Blog Posts

A group of UN human rights experts called for Israel to face immediate accountability and consequences for systemic violations of international law. As the armed assault on Gaza and forced displacement of its population continues unabated, the UN experts warned: "We cannot afford to lose the force of the multilateral system." They called for full-scale investigation and an end to impunity in a case of "potential genocide." They called on all states to "take immediate action to hold Israel accountable for its actions and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice... Only through accountability can the rule of law be upheld and human rights protected."

In a landmark 300-page report, Amnesty International has accused Israeli authorities of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The report outlines three specific violations of the Genocide Convention: the killing of Palestinians, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions intended to bring about their physical destruction. This assertion comes after a thorough investigation involving interviews with over 200 individuals, satellite imagery analysis, and a review of public statements by Israeli officials. The report highlights the severe impact of Israel’s actions, with over 42,000 Palestinians, including 13,300 children, killed, and 97,000 injured. Entire neighborhoods have been leveled, and crucial infrastructure obliterated, leaving significant parts of Gaza uninhabitable. The humanitarian toll is severe, with civilians enduring desperate conditions, such as lack of clean water and constant bombing.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah appears to be holding, with the US/France-brokered deal prompting thousands of displaced Lebanese civilians to head for their homes in the south. While there were celebrations on the road, so many homes, businesses and lives have been destroyed that the return is also marred by sorrow—with bodies still under the rubble of buildings flattened by Israel’s bombs. The days before the deal were particularly devastating, with Israel levelling an apartment block in central Beirut, reportedly killing at least 29 people. Both sides have traded accusations of violating the truce, which is based on the UN Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war. The next 60 days, during which both Hezbollah and Israel are set to withdraw from south Lebanon, will be crucial.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and possibly-deceased Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court charged Netanyahu and Gallant with using starvation as a method of warfare and accused them of criminal responsibility for murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts in Gaza. Prosecutors said both Israeli officials intentionally deprived Gaza's civilian population of essential supplies and were responsible for attacks against civilians. The ICC rejected Israel's challenges to its jurisdiction, ruling that Palestine's territorial jurisdiction provides sufficient basis for the court's authority. Israel, which is not a party to the ICC, has consistently rejected the court's authority over its nationals.

The UN Human Rights Office released a report detailing six months of war in Gaza from November 2023 to April 2024, denouncing the "horrific" suffering inflicted by Israel as well as Palestinian armed groups, and warning of potential crimes against humanity. In an accompanying release, the UN rights chief Volker Türk urged Israel to comply with international law. He warned that there would be a "due reckoning with respect to allegations of serious violations of international law through credible and impartial judicial bodies…"

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned that "the darkest moment of the Gaza conflict is unfolding in the north of the Strip." Calling for urgent action by the international community, Türk stated: "Unimaginably, the situation is getting worse by the day. The Israeli Government's practices in northern Gaza risk emptying the area of all Palestinians. We are facing what could amount to crimes against humanity." Türk asserted that under the Geneva Convention, member states have "an obligation to act when a serious violation of international humanitarian law has been committed."

A joint media report has led Dutch prosecutors to consider a criminal case concerning claims that Israeli intelligence officials have interfered with the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into alleged crimes in occupied Palestine. The Guardian newspaper and the Israeli publications +972 Magazine and Local Call jointly investigated what they allege are nine years of illegal surveillance and intimidation of the ICC prosecutor's office since a preliminary inquiry was opened into the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2015. Twenty complainants, predominantly Palestinians, have filed a criminal complaint requesting the Dutch prosecution service investigate the allegations of interference. The complainants' lawyers said in the filing that "Israel's many attempts to influence, sabotage and stop the investigation constitute a direct violation of their [the clients'] right to justice."

Multimedia

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Omar Barghouti, independent Palestinian political analyst, makes the case for boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel.

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Bill Weinberg speaks at the NYC Anarchist Forum on "Neither NATO Nor Qaddafi, Thank You: Anarchist Perspectives on Libya and the Arab Spring," April 27, 2011