All countries have an obligation to stop funding Israel's military - South Africa

by gajan
Feb 1, 2024

On Wednesday, South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation said that all states should stop funding Israel's military actions in Gaza after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) determined that those actions could amount to genocide. 

Naledi Pandor states that the ICJ ruling "makes it clear that it is plausible that genocide is taking place against the Palestinian people in Gaza. This necessarily imposes an obligation on all states to cease funding and facilitating Israel's military actions."

Last week the ICJ ordered Israel to immediately take steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza and take all measures to prevent its troops from committing genocide in the region.

Pandor, also stated that she met with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) last week to discuss a joint referral from five countries to investigate Israel's war against Palestine.

Speaking with reporters Pandor said, “What I felt he didn’t answer me sufficiently on was, I asked him why he was able to issue an arrest warrant for Mr. Putin while he is unable to do so for the Prime Minister of Israel. He couldn't answer and didn’t answer that question."

26,900 people have been killed and 65,949 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7. 

Recently several countries have paused funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), after Israel alleged that UNRWA employees took part in the Hamas attack on 7 October. 

UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, highlights that “UNRWA is the backbone of all humanitarian response in Gaza." Michael Fakhri, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, emphasized that the decision to pause funding for UNRWA "collectively punishes over 2.2 million Palestinians."

The US was the first among twelve countries that decided to pause funding for the UNRWA.

By contrast, the US continues to be the largest funder of the Israeli military, contributing approximately $3.8 bn per year in military assistance. 

Read more on Reuters, Al Jazeera, UN News, and the Guardian. 

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un_spcial

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(d) Hold nationals, including those with dual Israeli citizenship, involved in settler violence or violations in Gaza, accountable for violations of international law;  

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(i) Give full effect to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 19 July, by adhering to the legal obligations outlined by the Court, and considering specific measures or further measures required to put an end to the illegal presence of Israel in the occupied territories;

(j) Fully cooperate with the International Criminal Court. 

Read more here

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