ICJ Finds Israeli Genocide Plausible, calls for End to Genocide
26.01.2024
Given the United Nations’ top court’s judgment today for provisional measures to stop Israel’s genocide, we in LALIT call on the Mauritian government to at once suspend all diplomatic and commercial ties with the State of Israel. Any support for the State of Israel on the part of the Mauritian State, or any other state, will run the risk of the Mauritian state, or that other state, being guilty of complicity with genocide i.e. thus, like Israel, being in breach of its legal obligations under the Treaty for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
This is the importance of this judgment.
The 17 judges, decided well-nigh unanimously*, that South Africa has proven it is plausible that the State of Israel is committing acts of genocide and it must put a stop to it. There is a prima facie case against Israel for genocide and it must report back in one month to show that it has stopped its killing and destruction.
The ICJ – and its judgment is binding on Israel and importantly on all States – has called on Israel to stop killing Palestinians, to stop injuring them seriously whether physically or mentally, to stop destroying their means of survival, and to stop impeding their reproduction. In other words, to stop the genocide.
As the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs put it, in order to stop killing people, injuring them, destroying their infrastructure and their reproduction, you need a ceasefire relative to the people. That is what the Court has given. It is not feasible for a court of justice to grant a ceasefire, a political measure, relative to Hamas fighters. It Court says what is relevant. It says stop the genocide!
In addition, the Court has put Israel under orders to rebuild the infrastructure that ensures food, water, electricity supplies, and health and education services, in Gaza. This also means stop the genocide. And to report back within one month.
Yes, the Court has given one month for Israel to come up with a formal report before the Court that it is respecting all this. South Africa will then be asked to comment.
Israel has lost completely.
Israel had asked for the South African case to be thrown out as “obscene”. The Court threw out its demand instead.
LALIT calls on Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to take an immediate public stand that it will respect today’s provisional judgment of the International Court of Justice, and that it will at once work to isolate the State of Israel until Israel stops the genocide and occupation.
All existing contracts, or pending contracts, between Mauritian state institutions or private sector companies must be broken, and not renewed until the Israeli genocide, siege and occupation stops. We also call on the Prime Minister to begin the process of building a consensus within the African union for all African countries to support the total decolonization of Palestine, the end of the siege and the end of occupation, the end of Apartheid, and full equality for all the people living there. The Mauritian State did this for the Mauritius ICJ case against Britain for its continued colonization and military occupation of Chagos including Diego Garcia. And we won – with the entire African continent with us.
LALIT joins with all those in the world who stand by the people of Palestine, in Gaza and in the West Bank including East Jerusalem. Together, we will overcome.
The work before us is clear. We must work now to force the USA, the arms supplier, the political cover, the UN veto-abuser, and other Western co-conspirators in the Israeli genocide to put a stop to their complicity.
Israel had already said it will not respect the judgment, and will continue its killing of Palestinians.
So, pressure needs to be maintained. That is the work of people like you and us. We need to isolate Israel.
In any case, Israel is sorely hit. Now, its Ministers, its President, army chiefs and other leaders are not easily able to travel abroad. They will risk arrest in all countries that have signed up to the Genocide Treaty. Remember how Vladimir Putin could not travel to South Africa because South Africa is a signatory to the Genocide Convention? Well, now Netanyahu is in trouble. As is Isaac Hertzog. As is General Gallent. And all the Israeli leaders.
Israel will stop the genocide when the USA and its “swiver” pulls the plug on the armaments that fuel the genocide. That is what needs to be done.
The Security Council must now vote a Resolution for a ceasefire, and the USA must vote for it.
LALIT
26 January at 6:20 pm in Mauritius
* Only the Ugandan judge voted against the Provisional Measures. Even the Israeli ad hoc judge voted in favour of some.
