UK Government can’t ignore ICJ’s ruling on Gaza
The UK Government can no longer ignore Israel’s genocidal assault in Gaza following today’s ICJ ruling, the Scottish Greens have said.
The Court ruled against Israel’s motion to dismiss the case brought against it by South Africa. The case claims that Israel has breached the 1948 Genocide Convention.
In it's initial ruling the Court has put in place six provisional measures for Israel to follow – including preventing genocidal acts and ending the incitement to commit genocide.
In response, the Scottish Greens have called for the UK Government to immediately halt all arms sales to Israel and to sanction its political and military leaders, as was done to senior Russian figures after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
Ross Greer MSP, Scottish Greens External Affairs spokesperson, said:
“This is a landmark ruling, and the UK Government has a moral responsibility to act on it. The Court has clearly identified a risk of genocide in Gaza, otherwise it would not have issued these interim orders to Israel. It is essential that the UK takes immediate steps to ensure that it is not a collaborator in the crime of genocide.
“More than 25,000 Palestinians have already been killed and 1.7 million displaced by the Israeli assault. Hospitals have been attacked and ‘safe zones’ routinely bombed. Unarmed civilians carrying white flags are shot in the street in front of news crews. And the food, water, fuel and medicine being allowed in is only a small fraction of what’s needed to stop the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe. Children are having limbs amputated and women are undergoing c-sections without anaesthetic, an unimaginably horrific situation.
“Israel is committing war crimes openly and brazenly day after day with the full political and military backing of the UK, US and much of the international community.
“With the Court’s ruling, the UK can no longer ignore the reality of the situation. It’s our moral responsibility to do all we can to end the slaughter and the occupation, and seek a lasting peace. That means immediately halting arms sales to Israel and sanctioning its leaders. The same was rightly done to Russian leaders. Palestinian lives are worth no less than Ukrainian or British lives.”