Experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council announced on Tuesday that Israel was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. The published study calls on the global community to take immediate action to end these actions and to punish those responsible.
The three-member team, led by the erstwhile UN advanced Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, after a detailed legal analysis, stated that Israel's actions met 4 of the 5 definitions of genocide under the 1948 UN Convention.
"The Commission notes that Israel is liable for committing genocide in Gaza. It is clear that there is simply a intention to destruct Palestinians in Gaza through actions that meet the criteria set out in the Convention on Genocide," Navi Pillay said.
In her opinion, the Israeli authorities “at the highest levels” are liable for genocide crimes. The conflict that lasts almost 2 years, according to the committee, took the form of a systematic run for destruction. The study pointed straight to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, president Isaac Herzog, and erstwhile defence Minister Yoava Gallant as persons who "incited to commit genocide".
"The work for the crimes of genocide lies with the Israeli authorities at the highest levels," Pillay noted.
The reaction of the Israeli authorities was immediate and unequivocal.
"Israel powerfully rejects this distorted and false report," said the Israeli abroad Ministry on Tuesday.
In the Israeli abroad Ministry’s communication, there were accusations against the authors themselves. The judaic authorities identified 3 members of the commission as:
"The people acting as Hamas proxies, known for their openly anti-Semitic views—and whose shameful statements of the Jews were condemned worldwide."
For Israel, accusations of genocide are peculiarly painful due to the historical experience of the Holocaust, which inactive forms the national identity of this country today.
“Israel, which arose as a refuge for Jews after the Holocaust, powerfully opposes accusations of genocide, treating them as anti-Semitic bloody defamation.”
The committee study points to a number of activities that experts believe are part of genocide crimes: the complete siege of Gaza, the blockade of humanitarian aid leading to mass hunger, the demolition of the wellness system, attacks on children, and the deliberate demolition of the essential infrastructure to survive.
"The demolition of social, economical and wellness structures in Gaza aims to physically destruct Palestinians as a national group."
The Commission calls on the UN associate States to halt supplying arms to Israel and to block the activities of companies and individuals who can support actions leading to genocide.
"International society must not stay silent about Israel's genocide run against the Palestinian people in Gaza. erstwhile clear signals and evidence of genocide appear, failure to act to halt it means participation," Pillay warns.
Although the committee itself and the Human Rights Council do not have the power to formally prosecute the states, their findings may constitute crucial evidence for the global Criminal Court or the Court of Justice.
It is worth noting that the global Court of Justice is already investigating the genocide brought by South Africa against Israel. However, as noted by the current UN advanced Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk:
"Only an global court can formally find whether genocide has occurred, in accordance with global law."
Critics of this attitude argue that formal processes can take years, while thousands of civilians, including women and children, are killed in Gaza and all social infrastructure is destroyed.
The study of the Committee on Investigation was published erstwhile its members announced their resignation. For Navi Pillay and another experts, this was the last paper ending their word of office. Nevertheless, their proposals may become 1 of the most crucial points of mention for future decisions by global courts and national action.
The study is based on the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and punishment of the 1948 Genocide Crimes – a paper that was created as a reaction to planet War II crimes. As defined in the Convention, genocide is:
“Each of the actions carried out with the intent to destroy, in full or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or spiritual group.”
In the light of these provisions, the UN study acknowledges that the actions of the Israeli army and government towards the people of Gaza are exhausting the grounds for this definition.
"The siege of Gaza, the blockade of humanitarian aid, the demolition of hospitals and schools, the mass killing of children – all of this consists of an image of the state's conscious, planned and implemented act of genocide", Pillay stressed.
International reactions to the study are divided. any states, peculiarly Israel's allies, undermine the credibility of the Human Rights Council, recalling that the Donald Trump administration withdrew the United States from that body precisely due to its alleged "participation towards Israel".
However, even in the face of political controversy, the data presented in the study – based on satellite photos, medical documentation analysis, witness accounts and video material – are 1 of the strongest accusations against Israeli actions in Gaza. As Pillay states:
“If the planet does not respond now, it will be a shameful proof of the compassion and moral failure of global institutions.”
Faced with the suffering of thousands of civilians and the scale of the demolition in Gaza, this study could be a landmark signal to public opinion, global law and future political decisions.
