To the editor:
South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide is currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, The Netherlands. The court will present its provisional findings on whether Israel is engaged in “acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial, or religious group” under Article II of the U.N. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. A provisional finding is issued when conditions warrant, as stated in Article 41 of the ICJ Statute: “The Court shall have the power to indicate, if it considers that circumstances so require, any provisional measures which ought to be taken to preserve the respective rights of either party” before a final determination is made. Article I of the Genocide Convention states, “The Contracting Parties (signatories to the Convention) confirm that genocide, whether committed in the time of peace or in the time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.” The U.S. as signatory to the Genocide Convention is obligated under Article I to prevent and to punish genocide. In continuing to send military aid to Israel, the US could in fact be abetting genocide as determined by the court. As the world becomes increasingly aware of the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, the U.S. could instead become a beacon of moral leadership by predicating military aid to Israel on the immediate and permanent cessation of hostilities in Gaza and the West Bank, a release of the remaining hostages, and the beginning of negotiations for an independent Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.
Devon Hildreth
Marblehead
