Despite the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in January that Israel must take all measures to prevent the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, the world continues to supply fuel to the country – with the US being one of the most important suppliers.
– The case for the US’s complicity in genocide is very strong, says Shahd Hammouri, a lecturer in international law at the University of Kent.
The evidence includes jet fuel from Texas and Hammouri emphasizes that the US is “providing material support, without which the genocide and other illegalities are not possible”.
– The question of complicity for the other countries will rely on assessment of how substantial their material support has been, he continues.
Brazil, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Gabon, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo and Italy are also named as countries that exported oil to Israel even after the ICJ ruling.
“Other countries should be investigated”
– After the 26 January ICJ ruling, states cannot claim they did not know what they were risking to partake in, declared Francesca Albanese, UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, pointing out that all states have obligations under international law to prevent genocide and ensure respect for the Geneva Conventions.
– In the case of the US jet-fuel shipments, there are serious grounds to believe that there is a breach of the genocide convention for failure to prevent and disavowal of the ICJ January ruling and provisional measures. Other countries supplying oil and other fuels absolutely also warrant further investigation.
Since the Israeli invasion and bombing began in October, at least 40,000 Palestinians have been killed – tens of thousands more have been injured or disappeared under the rubble and a majority of the population has been forced to flee their homes. Israel says the aim of the invasion is to eliminate Hamas and free the Israelis taken hostage on October 7.
