An assault on a humanitarian convoy resulting in the deaths of numerous foreign aid workers. The brutal destruction of a hospital with hundreds of individuals inside. An airstrike on a consulate in a foreign nation. These are just a few examples of Israel’s recent actions in Gaza and the surrounding region, leading to accusations of war crimes and even genocide.
Despite these serious allegations, Israel’s Western allies continue to supply weapons to Israel and withhold funds from the main United Nations agency working in Gaza, where famine is a real threat to the nearly two million residents. The charges of genocide and the ongoing case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have not changed this behavior.
The UN Special Rapporteur to the Occupied Palestinian Territories recently warned Israel’s allies of potential violations of the UN Genocide Convention and the obligations of third states to prevent complicity in genocide. Nicaragua has already taken legal action against Germany for continuing to arm Israel, and other groups worldwide are pursuing cases against their own governments.
Despite these legal challenges and mounting death tolls in Gaza, major weapons suppliers like the US, UK, and Australia have not halted arms sales to Israel. UK government lawyers have reportedly advised that Israel breached international humanitarian law, yet no official announcement has been made.
The ICJ has ordered Israel to allow increased humanitarian aid into Gaza, but Israel continues to obstruct NGOs working to distribute food aid in the midst of a growing famine risk. UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, is facing obstacles in accessing northern Gaza due to Israel’s accusations without evidence. Despite some donor countries resuming funding, challenges persist in delivering aid to those in need.
In the face of potential legal culpability for complicity in war crimes and genocide, larger countries supporting Israel may seek to evade accountability by preventing Israeli witnesses from testifying in any future criminal hearings. The actions taken by these countries in withholding funding for essential aid and providing weapons contributing to the devastation in Gaza could ultimately lead to retrospective guilt if proven to have enabled Israeli atrocities.