How much longer? One year of Genocide against Palestinians, Israeli impunity, and Western complicity
6th October 2024- For the last year, egregious violations of international law left unchecked by the international community have granted Israel the impunity to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Palestinian people. The intentional targeting of civilians, abhorrent and inexcusable war crimes in all circumstances, has been selectively addressed by the international community for political gain. Civilian casualties have been either ignored or used as political pawns.
Whilst Western countries have understandably condemned the unlawful killing of Israeli civilians by other parties, the killing of Palestinian civilians, the total destruction of Gaza’s infrastructure, and the mass starvation of 2,200,000 people by Israel have been allowed to continue unabated.
At best, this silence has served as apologism for genocide, reinforcing the sense of impunity upon which Israel’s occupation is based.
At worst, the political cover, military intelligence and arms supplied by Western allies of Israel, including the United Kingdom, render them actively complicit in Israel’s war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Irrespective of what group, organisation or State carries out such unlawful acts, it should be condemned by the international community and punished under international law. Western states, including the United Kingdom, should not excuse such actions when carried out by an ally. The UK has an obligation to support the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court if it wishes to support the international rules-based order system that it helped to establish. It is precisely this failure – to uphold a rules-based order, to protect the rights to which Palestinians are entitled – which has emboldened Israel to continue its killing spree, now expanded to include civilians in Lebanon.
Unforgivably, the UK remains deeply complicit in Israeli war crimes. This complicity includes the continued export of arms licenses, particularly those associated with the F-35 aircraft, and the political cover provided to Israel by British politicians. The UK must be stronger in condemning illegal Israeli settlements and increased settler violence in the West Bank, which is also backed by the Israeli State. Those who protest against genocide and occupation on the streets of the UK must be allowed to do so, without fear of unfair targeting by police, or their educational institutions and workplaces.
Over the past 12 months, the sheer scale of destruction in Gaza has rendered it difficult to quantify the level of human suffering. At the most basic level, it is impossible to accurately count the injured, killed, or missing in Gaza. This genocide continues to cause immeasurable harm to every single life in Gaza – and yet Palestinians’ lives continue to be treated as more disposable than others’. The grief and fear of their loved ones in Palestine and beyond continues to be ignored. One year in, the massacres continue daily. This should transcend politics; those with a sense of humanity must work to bring this genocide to an end immediately.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
- The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians is an independent organisation of lawyers, politicians and academics who support the rights of Palestinians and aim to protect their rights through the law.