Mauritian Solidarity with Palestine -- an Action relative to the Mauritian State
09.08.2023
Not long after Mauritius’ victory at the ICJ, which has handed down a judgment instructing the UK to immediately leave Chagos including Diego Garcia so as to complete the decolonization of Africa, the General Assembly of the United Nations has now requested a new case to look into the illegal occupation by Israel of Palestine. This, new case, too, is important for the whole world, just as the Chagos case is.
Here are details of an action that LALIT is part of, in relation to this new case.
Some countries had already made submissions to the ICJ, in which there was reference to the Mauritian victory at the ICJ. So, as a member of SOMALP (Solidarite Morisyin Ar Lepep Palestinn) we were part of its initiative to request the Mauritian Government to submit a formal written statement to the ICJ.
On 30 December last year, the UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution* calling for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an Advisory Opinion on the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory. In spite of Israel’s threats and pressure, a majority of 87 countries voted in favour of the resolution, with only Israel, the US and 24 other members voting against. As many as 53 countries, however, capitulated under the pressure and abstained. All this to say that every bit of mobilization counts.
The occupied Palestinian territory has been under violent military control since 1967, as many of us know. This is the longest occupation in modern history. It is shocking that many countries, the worst culprit by far being the USA, while arming Ukraine on the grounds that it is illegally occupied by Russia, actually arms Israel in order to help it perpetrate an illegal occupation on Palestine. The differential treatment is outrageous.
According to UN experts, Israel’s continuous annexation of portions of the already illegally occupied Palestinian territory, now focusing on large parts of the West Bank after unlawfully annexing East Jerusalem, suggests a terrible new spectre is now before the world. Israel, under its new extreme-right regime, is right now, these UN experts fear, making a move to actually go ahead and annex the entire occupied Palestinian territory. This is a truly horrifying prospect. It will be in flagrant violation of all international law. In fact, the last five decades have witnessed Israel’s confiscation, bit by bit, of Palestinian lands and resources, resulting in over 270 “colonies” housing 750,000 Israeli settlers. All of this was already illegal. All of this was already done with US armaments.
This new case at the ICJ against Israel follows a previous one. In 2004 the ICJ already ruled Israel’s “Apartheid wall”, which is in the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, to be illegal. In the process of this new UN international Court case at The Hague, SOMALP sent a letter on 5 July this year to the Minister of Foreign Affairs requesting that the Mauritian government consider submitting a formal written statement to the ICJ supporting this case against the Israeli state. We have been informed recently that the Government has now submitted a written statement to the ICJ on the issue.
SOMALP is today making public the contents of our letter to Minister Alan Ganoo. We see this kind of collective action, with all the other SOMALP members, as a contribution to the ongoing spirit of internationalism, something vital to a socialist future.
Here is our collective letter:
Dear Sir,
As you are aware, the UN General Assembly voted at the end of last year to take the issue of Palestinian occupation by Israel to the International Court of Justice for an Advisory Opinion. This was, we understand, on the basis of a Palestinian resolution, supported by the Decolonization Committee of the UN. It was on 30 December 2022 that the UN General Assembly adopted this Resolution requesting an ICJ Advisory Opinion, with 87 votes in favour, 26 members against, and 53 abstentions. We note, with satisfaction, that Mauritius is amongst the 87 countries that voted in favour of the request for an Advisory Opinion. We also note that some supporting documents mention the Mauritian victory at the ICJ in the ongoing struggle to decolonize all countries.
We write in this context to request that the Government of Mauritius consider making a formal submission in favour of the request for an opinion.
The closing date for submitting written statements is, however, approaching. It is 25 July 2023.
We include as attachment an outline of a legal analysis developed by Palestinian legal and human rights organizations, in case it is of interest to you.
As we write, the occupation of Palestine has taken a turn for the worse. There has been the recent attack on the Jenin refugee camp. The targetted killings and house-demolitions continue. Children continue to be arrested brutally. This is all happening in the context of an all-out campaign begun by the Israeli state following the last elections there, to annex, inter alia, the entire West Bank.
We know how much it would mean to the people of Palestine to get this support from the Government of Mauritius at this hard time in their struggle for liberation. This is just as we, the people of Mauritius, appreciated the support of States that made submissions in favour of Mauritian decolonization at the time of the Chagos case at the ICJ.
Yours sincerely,
Alain Ah Vee
for SOMALP which regroups: Confederation of General Trade unions, Mauritius Labour Congress, Confederation des Travailleurs des Secteurs Publique et Privé, All Workers’ Federation, Federation of Parastatal Bodies and Other union, Dr. Idrice Goomany Treatment Centre, Consumer Advocacy Platform, Chagos Refugees Group, Muvman Liberasyon Fam, LALIT and individual members, like former President of the Republic Cassam Uteem and former Attorney General Jean-Claude Bibi.
Footnote: *UN Resolution Number 77/400
