Nearly two years into Israel’s war on Gaza, a United Nations inquiry concluded on September 16 that it is committing genocide.
The UN’s on the Occupied Palestinian Territory said it based its conclusions, in part, on statements made by Israel’s President, Prime Minister and its former minister of defence.
“Israeli civilian and military authorities and the pattern of conduct of the Israeli security forces indicate that the genocidal acts were committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, Palestinians in the Gaza Strip as a group.
“The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,” said Navi Pillay, commission spokesperson.“It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”
This conclusion, very delayed, supports those reached by a majority people across the world and is the reason for their continued protests, including the demand that sanctions be levied on Israel, as well as putting an end to the two-way arms trade.
The (ICJ) had already begun found in January of last year that it was plausible that Israel was committing genocide and orders the Israeli government to take all measures within its power to prevent genocidal acts including ensuring aid and services reach Palestinians under siege in Gaza.
South Africa lodged the claim with the ICJ, arguing that Israel is violating its obligations under the Genocide Convention with its military assault on Gaza, which began on 8 October, after the attack by Hamas. Israel tried to get the case dismissed, but failed.
Pillay said the commission’s findings are based on a “comprehensive examination of the underlying acts of genocide and genocidal intent”. In establishing genocidal intent, the commission applied the “only reasonable inference” standard set down by the ICJ in the case of Bosnia versus Serbia.
It called on Israel to “end its policy of starvation, lift the siege and facilitate and ensure the unimpeded access of humanitarian aid at scale”. It called on Israel to “immediately end the activities of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation”.
Further it called on member states to “cease the transfer of arms and other equipment that may be used for the commission of genocidal acts to Israel” and to “ensure individuals and corporations in their territories and within their jurisdiction are not involved in aiding and assisting the commission of genocide or incitement to commit genocide”.
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Protests for these same demands continued in cities across Australia over the weekend of September 13-14. More than 1000 people joined the 100th consecutive Naarm/Melbourne protest on September 14, reports Jordan Shukri AK Armaou-Massoud.
Mohammad Sheerab from Free Palestine Coalition Naarm and Sit-Intifada, talked up the SovereigntyNever Ceded march the previous day, saying: “We will not give them [the racists] space to spread their hate”.
Ihab Alazhari, founder of Sit-Intifada, called for an end to Labor’s complicityin the genocide saying “the blood of the children of Gaza is on the hands of governments around the world”.
Community lawyers and Australian Services Union (ASU) delegates—Charlotte & Dylan— who organised of arecent ASU-led unprotected industrial actionalso spoke. “We are all stronger together,” Charlotte said.
Dylan added: “We wanted to use our power as workers to disrupt business-as-usual”.Dylan, whose pay was docked for attending the stop work, said they felt obliged to strike, despite the anti-strikelaws.
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Other speakers included nurse Mat from Australian Nurses and Midwives Victoria for Palestine; Amin G Abbas and Jamal Hakim from Melbourne for Palestine and musicians Ahmad Atawneh/DJ Matab and Uma Dobia.
The protest marched to the Australian Trade and Investment Commission office to demand the two-way arms trade between Australia and Israel ends.
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Jews for Palestine WA held an emergency protest on September 12 at the US Consulate in Boorloo/Perth against the US role in allowing Israel to systematically destroying every last building in Gaza. The protesters called for sanctions and for an end to the two-way arms trade.
Community sector workers walked off the job in Naarm/Melbourne on September 10, and National Tertiary Education Union members and other unionists on Gadigal Country/Sydney took action on the same day demanded that universities cut all ties with Israel on September 10.
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Jews Against the Occupation ’48 held a solidarity event to highlight the Sumud Flotilla trying to reach Gaza with aid on Bondi Beach, on September 7. Jews, Palestinians and others sent off origami boats into the sea, while Zionists draped with Israeli flags and white supremacistsdraped in the Australian flag shouted abuse. Police had to be called to stop the pro-Israeli government protesters from trying to physically stop the family friendly event.
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