The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in January that there were definite indications that Israel was engaged in genocide and that Israel should make sure its military stayed within the provisions of the international Genocide Convention. The Court added an instruction that Israel be sure to provide humanitarian aid to the affected population of Gaza. Now, two months later, Gaza is entering a famine that is beginning to take lives. The needed humanitarian aid has been blocked, not provided. Now, at the end of March, the ICJ has specified more exactly what Israel needs to do and ordered Israel to submit a report in a month about what actions it had taken.
About thirty thousand Gazans have been killed, mostly women and children. The cities of Gaza have been destroyed by bombing, with the exception of Rafah a small city of less than 200 thousand, where now one and a half million Gazans have taken refuge. Israel stands by its plans to attack Rafah. Whether the attack on Rafah goes forward or not, the line has been crossed by the failure of Israel to provide humanitarian aid. What we see is genocide as defined by international law.
Which is the worst, the destruction? The killing? The starvation? Israel’s desire to eradicate Hamas is understandable, but not at such a high cost. Genocide is over the line.
As an American, I am appalled by the role U.S. support has played in the Gazan Genocide. We supplied the bombs for Israel’s destruction of the cities of northern Gaza. Curiously it was Senator Joseph Biden who sponsored the 1987 Genocide Convention Implementation Act, which passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law in November of 1988. The penalty is life imprisonment. Yet this same Joe Biden has recently authorized the sending of 1800 two-thousand pound bombs to Israel, blockbusters as they are called. Also he has requested authorization from Congress to give Israel fourteen billion dollars, up from the standard yearly four billion. It appears that when the military-industrial complex lines up with AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), a sensible US politician will do as expected.
What to do? Israel and the United States have clearly lost their bearings and have descended into genocide. The recent trickle of humanitarian aid does not change the situation. We must tell the truth about this, but just speaking up is not likely to turn things around. For my part, I am putting my energy into building a global network of cities in support of the goals of the United Nations, starting in my hometown, San Francisco. Not an easy task, and still in the planning stages, but at least doable. Such a network could be the basis for a global consciousness that transcends the national identities. A global consciousness is what we need to persuade the nations to disarm and work together on the massive global issues that we all face.
Originally posted in Quora at https://unityisstrengthforum.quora.com/Can-you-write-a-poignant-approximately-500-word-reflection-on-the-current-devastation-of-Gaza-Unity-is-Strength-will-e-8
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