John Reynolds teaches at Maynooth University, Ireland. He is the author of Empire, Emergency and International Law and an editor of the Third World Approaches to International Law Review journal and website.
Western states would like to move on as if the Gaza genocide never happened, even though Israel is still terrorizing the Palestinian people. But the legal cases holding Israel and its leaders accountable are going ahead despite their best efforts.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister Yoav Gallant. The hostile response to the warrants from Israel’s Western allies is a calculated assault on international law.
Last month, the International Court of Justice issued a damning assessment of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land and the apartheid system it has built. All states now have a clear obligation to impose sanctions on Israel until the occupation ends.
Last Friday, the International Court of Justice directly ordered Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza and allow humanitarian aid. With its attack on UNRWA, Israel is blatantly violating that order, and the Biden administration has also put itself in the dock.
The International Court of Justice has begun hearing South Africa’s case against Israel under the Genocide Convention today. South African jurists have presented a careful, rigorously documented brief that exposes the deliberate slaughter of civilians in Gaza.
After losing to Sinn Féin in February’s general election, Ireland’s conservative parties have exploited the pandemic to regain their footing and strike a coalition deal with the Greens. The new government won’t deliver the change Irish society needs, but Ireland’s left-wing forces still have a real opening in the coming years.