Sunday, June 1, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

“They call it ‘genocide’ – but don’t invoke the Genocide Convention”

The situation in Gaza

World leaders denounce Israel's actions as genocide, but no invocation of the Genocide Convention is seen, writes independent journalist Sam Husseini.

Published 14 December 2023
Sam Husseini. Palestinian children walking among ruins in the Gaza Strip.
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

Many say seemingly brave things. But do they do what’s needed to change a situation? It’s not too hard to denounce a party, wash your hands of a horrific situation. It’s harder to do something which might actually stop them from committing their criminal activity.

Many nations have denounced the Israeli as well as US governments. They deserve that and then some. Some have even called it “genocide” – but not one government has invoked the Genocide Convention against Israel. (By contrast, several nations just recently invoked it against Myanmar. Some of these countries have petitioned the ICC, but that body has a long record of not administering justice, particularly to Palestinians.)

Many say seemingly brave things. But do they do what’s needed to change a situation?

Head of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas recently said: “This US policy makes it complicit in the crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes committed by the Israeli occupation forces against Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem.”

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva recently told Al Jazeera: “What we see is genocide going on, killing thousands and thousands of children that have nothing to do with that, women that have nothing to do with that.”

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa said: “The collective punishment of Palestinian civilians through the unlawful use of force by Israel is a war crime. The deliberate denial of medicine, fuel, food and water to the residents of Gaza is tantamount to genocide” See video. International Relations Minister, Naledi Pandor has referred to “atrocities and genocide of the Israeli government”. She has also stated: “South Africa cannot watch another genocide unfold” See video. [See piece by Patrick Bond on the influence of the Israel lobby in South Africa.]

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro stated: “It’s called Genocide, they do it to remove the Palestinian people from Gaza and take it over. The head of the state who carries out this genocide is a criminal against humanity. Their allies cannot talk about democracy.” He has referred to the “genocide and barbaric acts against the Palestinian people.”

Venezuela’s President, Nicolas Maduro said: “We must demand, with one voice, an end to the genocide against the Palestinian people.” He reportedly also said: “Enough of the Nazi-Zionist genocide against the children of Palestine!”

“Enough of the Nazi-Zionist genocide against the children of Palestine!”

Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said: “Where is humanity? And where is the global conscience that has become absent regarding the genocide being committed?”’

Türkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan called on Israel to “immediately end its operations amounting to genocide.”

Bolivia’s President Luis Arce called Israel’s actions “war crimes” and urged the United Nations Security Council to “prevent the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh said (according to a news report that didn’t use quotes): Palestinian people are being subjected to genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in an interview on the Israel-Palestine war. Photo: Aljazeera

Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Israel’s actions were “within the legal definition of genocide.”

Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram said: ”We cannot mince our words; we have to tell the Israelis: stop the genocide.”

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi told Russian President Putin: “What is happening in Palestine and Gaza is, of course, genocide and a crime against humanity.”

Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani denounced as “shameful” international inaction over Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza as he opened a Gulf Cooperation Council meeting in Doha. He was quoted by Al Jazeera: “It is a disgrace on the international community to allow this heinous crime to continue for more than two months – where the systematic and purposeful killing of innocent civilians continues, including women and children.” (As I have noted, Al Jazeera English, which is funded by Qatar, has, to my knowledge not reported to their viewers than any country can invoke the Genocide Convention.)

Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi said: “Oman regards this act as a continuation of war crimes and genocide and a clear breach of international laws and conventions established to protect people during conflicts.”

Prof. Francis Boyle from the University of Illinois notes: “Article 1 of the Genocide Convention requires all contracting parties to ‘prevent’ genocide.”

Boyle represented Bosnia before the ICJ and that court ruled:

In fact, a State’s obligation to prevent, and the corresponding duty to act, arise at the instant that the State learns of, or should normally have learned of, the existence of a serious risk that genocide will be committed. From that moment onwards, if the State has available to it means likely to have a deterrent effect on those suspected of preparing genocide, or reasonably suspected of harbouring specific intent (dolus specialis), it is under a duty to make such use of these means as the circumstances permit.

“Article 1 of the Genocide Convention requires all contracting parties to ‘prevent’ genocide.”

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted 75 years ago, states in its opening paragraph: “The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.” The “Contracting Parties” should live up to said contract.

Specifically Article 9 states: “Disputes between the Contracting Parties relating to the interpretation, application or fulfilment of the present Convention, including those relating to the responsibility of a State for genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in Article 3, shall be submitted to the International Court of Justice at the request of any of the parties to the dispute.” Again, the “Contracting Parties” should live up to said contract.

Other countries have stopped short of calling it genocide, but their words clearly indicate that they understand the threat of genocide is there. Irish President Michael D. Higgins on Israel said: “To announce in advance that you will break international law and to do so to an innocent population reduces all the code that was there from the Second World War on the protection of civilians, and it reduces it to tatters.” President of Sinn Féin Mary Lou McDonald made a fiery speech which got a lot of traction online, but ultimately it was just a call for Ireland going to the ICC, which, has been a dead end and has already been done by several other states over the last two months.

Meanwhile, calls by Irish Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire and others for the Irish government to invoke the Genocide Convention have gone unheeded.

Other countries, including Chile, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Comoros, Belize, Chad, Honduras, Bahrain, Cuba, Belgium and Spain have been critical of Israel, often accusing it of war crimes in ways that show that they too explicitly understand the need to prevent a genocide. Indeed, the recent UN resolution for a ceasefire had about 100 co-sponsors. But none of them have invoked the Genocide Convention either.

Particularly interesting is this piece on Malaysia “Malaysia unlikely to invoke Genocide Convention, says expert.”

 

Sam Husseini

 


This article was originally published on Sam Husseini’s Substack

About the author

Sam Husseini is a Jordanian-Palestinian journalist and political activist. Currently serving as the communications director of the Institute for Public Accuracy in Washington DC, he has a background in promoting progressive experts in mainstream media. His career includes work with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting.

A US citizen since 1984 and a Carnegie Mellon University graduate, he has contributed to various publications including CounterPunch, The Nation, and The Washington Post. Known for his forthright style, he has been involved in notable incidents like questioning the Saudi ambassador at the National Press Club and being removed from a Russia–United States summit press conference.

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

Jewish Power leader: “Time to go full force into Gaza”

The situation in Gaza

Published 30 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Ben-Gvir has long been identified as one of Israel's most belligerent voices - and wants Gaza completely emptied of Palestinians.

Israel’s invasion and bombing of Gaza have been described as among the most extensive in modern times and condemned worldwide because of the high number of civilian casualties.

However, the country’s far-right security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has long been one of the strongest voices calling for further escalation of the situation – now he is insisting that it is time for Israel to “go in with full force” into the already bombed-out territory.

Ben-Gvir, who also leads the Jewish Power (Otzma Yehudit) party, believes that Israel should take control of both Gaza and the West Bank and has been criticized over the years, even in Israel, for praising Jewish terrorists and mass murderers.

Itamar Ben-Gvir also caused a major uproar when he attended the so-called “wedding of hate” in 2015, where guests celebrated the murder of a Palestinian family in the village of Duma. At the wedding, participants waved weapons and stabbed knives into a picture of the 18-month-old boy who was killed in the arson attack – an act that Ben-Gvir had previously defended.

The number of Palestinians killed during Israel’s invasion and bombings is unclear – but is estimated to be between 40,000 and hundreds of thousands.

However, given that Hamas has said that the new US-backed ceasefire proposal does not meet their demands, Ben-Gvir believes that too much caution has been exercised so far and that it is now time to seriously use military force.

Mr. Prime Minister, after Hamas rejected the deal proposal again – there are no more excuses, Ben-Gvir said on his Telegram channel.

– The confusion, the shuffling and the weakness must end. We have already missed too many opportunities. It is time to go in with full force, without blinking, to destroy, and kill Hamas to the last one.

Ben-Gvir’s definition of terrorists who must be eliminated includes, according to him, not only combatants but also all Palestinians who are considered to sympathize with the Islamist group.

He has also previously argued that it is difficult to determine which Palestinians belong to Hamas and which do not, and he has repeatedly argued that Gaza should be permanently emptied of Palestinians.

European diplomats forced to flee Israeli shelling

The situation in Gaza

Published 23 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Stock image - Israeli snipers in the West Bank.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has demanded that those responsible be “held accountable” after Israeli soldiers opened fire near a diplomatic delegation during a recent visit to the Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank, with several EU countries now demanding immediate explanations from Israel.

The delegation, which according to the Palestinian Authority included diplomats from the EU, France, Britain, Italy, Canada, Russia, China, Denmark, and other countries, had visited a refugee camp in Jenin when several shots were fired. No one was injured, but video footage shows delegates being forced to flee and seek shelter during the shooting.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry claims that the delegation left an “approved route” and was in an area where they “were not authorized to be”. The statement on social media claims that the soldiers fired “warning shots” to disperse the group.

Critics, however, are skeptical of the explanation and that it would be reasonable or proportionate to start shooting at a group of diplomats instead of trying to communicate with them.

– Any threats on diplomats’ lives are unacceptable, Kallas said at a press conference on Wednesday. She emphasized that even so-called warning shots are considered gunfire and that those responsible must be “held accountable”.

“Unprovoked” attack

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) say they regret the incident and are launching an investigation. They promise to inform the countries concerned of the results, but at the same time do not acknowledge that their actions were wrong.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that a French diplomat was at the scene:

– A visit to Jenin, in which one of our diplomats was participating, was fired upon by Israeli soldiers. This is unacceptable, he said, announcing that Israel’s ambassador in Paris had been summoned for talks.

The German Foreign Ministry also reacted sharply:

– It was a matter of luck that nothing worse had happened, they wrote in a statement describing the shots fired by Israeli soldiers as “unprovoked”. Minister Johann Wadephul has spoken with diplomats on the ground and is demanding an explanation from his Israeli counterpart.

Demanding “convincing explanations”

Belgium’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Maxime Prévot, confirmed that a Belgian diplomat was also in the group.

– Fortunately, he is all right. Belgium demands convincing explanations from Israel, he said.

A spokesman for the Palestinian Authority’s Foreign Ministry called the incident a “heinous crime” and accused Israeli forces of deliberately firing live ammunition at an accredited international delegation.

Images of the incident, published by the Palestinian Authority, show chaotic scenes with delegates running in panic while shots are heard in the background.

Belgium’s aid office bombed

The incident occurred just one day after Kallas announced that the EU would review its association agreement with Israel – an agreement governing political and economic cooperation – citing Israel’s military offensive in Gaza and the humanitarian catastrophe that followed in its wake.

Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, wrote on social media that he too had summoned Israel’s ambassador to Rome to demand official clarification about the shooting in Jenin.

During Israel’s invasion and bombing of Gaza, a large number of journalists, photographers, aid workers, and UN personnel have been killed without any major consequences.

However, European diplomats and government officials have so far been relatively spared from the violence – even though the Israeli army bombed Belgium’s development aid office as recently as February this year. As far as is known, this incident did not lead to any significant consequences either.

Sources: US wants to expel Palestinians to Libya

The situation in Gaza

Published 18 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The US advises its own citizens against traveling to Libya - but at the same time, according to sources, it wants around one million Palestinians to be deported there.

According to multiple sources speaking to NBC News, Donald Trump’s administration is currently working on a plan to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya. However, the White House dismisses the claims as false and denies that any such plans exist at present.

The administration of former US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering permanently relocating up to one million Palestinians from Gaza to Libya, NBC News reports, citing informed sources. The White House denies that any such plan exists.

Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly said the US is ready to take control of Gaza and turn the area into a “Riviera of the Middle East”. However, the proposals have faced strong opposition from other countries in the region, who argue that they violate international law, threaten regional stability and undermine the right of Palestinians to remain on their ancestral land.

According to NBC’s sources, the White House is now “seriously” considering a proposal to relocate about half of Gaza’s population to Libya. In exchange for Libya agreeing to take in the Palestinians, the US is reportedly prepared to release about $30 billion in Libyan assets that were frozen more than a decade ago.

NBC says talks have already been held with the Libyan leadership, but it is not clear which of the country’s rival governments has been involved in the discussions.

Civil war and chaos

Libya has been in a state of chaos since Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011. Today, the country is divided between two rival power centers: the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and the UN-backed Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) based in Tobruk.

Notably, the leader of the SSA, Abdulghani al-Kikli – also known as “Ghaniwa” – was killed just last Monday, sparking violent clashes in the capital. The US State Department today advised its own citizens against traveling to Libya at all because of “due to crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict“.

The sources also state that Israel has been informed about the discussions between the US and Libya. However, no final agreement on a possible relocation of Palestinians has been reached yet and details on how or when such a plan could be implemented are described as “murky”.

A Trump administration spokesperson rejects the NBC reports as “untrue” and stressed that “situation on the ground (in Libya) is untenable for such a plan. Such a plan was not discussed and makes no sense”.

Trump wants to make Gaza an American “freedom zone”

The situation in Gaza

Published 15 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Many Palestinians are very hostile to the idea of Israel's main ally taking control of their homes.

Donald Trump has once again proposed that the US take control of the Gaza Strip and turn the entire area into a “freedom zone”.

However, what this would mean in practice for the population is highly unclear, and Palestinian activists emphasize that they have no interest in coming under US sovereignty.

During a visit to Doha, Qatar, Donald Trump reiterated his vision of the US “taking over” the Gaza Strip and creating a so-called freedom zone.

The statement comes in the middle of a regional tour and follows earlier heavily criticized proposals to transform Gaza into the “Riviera of the Middle East by moving the Palestinian population to neighboring countries and replacing them with “people from all over the world”.

– We are working very hard on Gaza and Gaza has been a territory of death and destruction, the president proclaimed, continuing:

– I’d be proud to have the United States have it, take it, make it a freedom zone.

Israel’s most important ally

He did not clarify exactly what a “freedom zone” means, nor has Trump previously provided details on how a relocation or reconstruction of Gaza would be carried out.

Qatar and Egypt, which are mediating in the war between Israel and Hamas, have seen peace negotiations stall in recent months, as large-scale displacement of Palestinians is rejected not only by the Palestinians themselves, but also by many Arab states.

Trump’s proposal raises questions about whether the people of Gaza have any interest in breaking Israeli occupation under American control. Since the outbreak of the war, over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed and most of the infrastructure destroyed, according to the UN. Many more have been injured or are missing under the rubble, and more and more voices are describing the situation as ongoing genocide.

Many Palestinian activists and outside observers point out that the US supports and has enabled Israel’s invasion, bombings, and war crimes, and that from a Palestinian perspective, it is hardly desirable for Israel’s closest ally, the US, to take control of the area.

Others emphasize that the Palestinian people want and have the right to independence and self-determination and to rule over their own territory without having to submit to either Israel or the US.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.