877 Organizations Urge Support For Genocide Case Against Israel

The International Coalition to Stop Genocide in Palestine (ICSGP) gained the support of 877 organizations around the world for a letter asking governments to file a "Declaration of Intervention" in support of the South African case against Israel, which will be analyzed by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January 11 and 12.

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Among the signatories are organizations of various faiths and ideologies such as the Black Alliance for Peace, the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation, Popular Resistance, CODEPINK, Progressive International, the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), the National Lawyers Guild, Veterans for Peace, the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and World Beyond War.

“What is happening in Palestine is an atrocity. In particular, the use of starvation as a weapon of war is part of a strategy of genocide that we need to denounce. The expulsion of farmers and land grabs in Gaza as well as the West Bank, is also part of a strategy of ethnic cleansing,” said Morgan Ody, who is the coordinator of La Via Campesina.

“We call upon the governments of the world, and in particular progressive governments and those in the Global South, to do everything in their power to stop Israel’s apartheid and colonization. Those governments have the responsibility to coordinate their efforts in order to ensure a future for Palestine and for all Palestinian people, and to make sure that those responsible for Israel’s crimes against humanity are held accountable,” he added.

So far, Malaysia and Türkiye, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which represents 57 member countries on four continents, have publicly supported South Africa’s case.

Jordan reports that it intends to take the more legally substantive step of submitting a Declaration of Intervention. Members of ICGSP are working closely with a number of other countries that are in the process of doing the same.

“The South African filing before the ICJ marks a critical juncture which tests the global will to salvage the laws and systems which were designed to safeguard not merely human rights; but to preserve humanity itself,” emphasizes Lamis Deek, co-founder of the PAL Commission on War Crimes.

Genocide is the highest crime and none has been so publicly documented as the Israeli Genocide in Palestine. The sincerity of states' commitment to the principles of the Geneva and Genocide Conventions is now under heavy scrutiny.

"The very least states can do is to submit Declarations of Intervention as a small part of fulfilling their obligations under Article 1 of the Genocide Convention, to assure their people—and humanity—that they have lost neither their moral compass nor abdicated their obligations under international law," the ICSGP stressed.

“Israeli Occupying Forces have bombed hospitals, residences, United Nations refugee centers, schools, places of worship and escape routes, killing and injuring tens of thousands of Palestinians since October 7, 2023. More than half of the dead are women and children. Israeli leaders have made brazenly genocidal statements openly declaring their intention to permanently and completely displace Palestinians from their own land," it recalled.

At this moment, the United States, a major backer of the Israeli State that has vetoed three resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), stands alone in denying that Israel is committing genocide.

“Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom was involved in the Middle East conflict since the 1920s when it recognized that what was happening in Palestine was destined to be catastrophic," warned Edith Ballantyne, former secretary of the League.

"The genocidal war the government of Israel is waging in the Occupied Palestinian Territories against the Palestinian People must be stopped. I urge all to challenge their governments to live up to the principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, including human rights and humanitarian law,” she added.