On the Committing of Genocide and International Court Rulings
The United Nations’ Commission of Inquiry has declared that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. This declaration follows similar conclusions drawn by globally-recognised Israeli think tanks, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, as well as the International Association of Genocide Scholars.
We have long said that Hamas is genocidal and condemned them for their actions.
Now, in light of the evidence provided by these reports - and what we see unfolding before us - we cannot remain silent on the actions of the Israeli Government.
We must now say it clearly: the Israeli Government is committing genocide in Gaza.
The recent report from the UN Independent Commission, along with findings from B’Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights–Israel, make for painful reading. They document the targeting of children, the deliberate starvation of civilians, and the fact that families are prevented from fleeing. As the Commission concluded: “[Gazans] can only remain, facing death and increasingly deteriorating conditions of life.”
The International Court of Justice has an essential role in upholding the Genocide Convention, and we support its work fully. Yet it will take many years for that court to provide a final determination on the question of genocide in Gaza, and that shouldn’t stop the UK Government acting now. Our Government has a clear duty in international law to act to prevent a genocide from taking place. Not to do so renders Ministers complicit. And they are not doing enough.
As well as direct actions by the UK, Ministers must put pressure on our allies to act. It is appalling that the President of the United States who wants a Nobel Peace Prize is doing nothing to stop the genocide.
On 16th September, all 72 Liberal Democrat MPs, including myself, signed a letter to the Prime Minister calling on him to use September’s State Visit to press Donald Trump to finally take action - which included calling on him to reverse his shameful decision to block Palestinian officials from attending September’s United Nations General Assembly Session. You can read the letter in full here.
The UK must act with moral clarity and consistency. Words are not enough. We must fulfil our legal and moral duties to prevent further atrocities and to work towards a just and lasting peace.
In addition, the UK must uphold its obligations under international law by respecting International Criminal Court proceedings and implementing any arrest warrants issued. The independence of international judicial institutions is fundamental to the rule of law. It is vital that the Government complies with our obligations under international law by committing to upholding this ruling, including enforcing arrest warrants.
Our Party Leader, Ed Davey, used the first Prime Minister’s Questions after the 2024 General Election to call on Sir Keir Starmer to uphold the ICJ’s ruling on Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories as illegal - and the final set of PMQs before this Summer Recess to call for Prime Minister Netanyahu to be sanctioned.
In response to the ICJ’s advisory opinion, presented on 19th July 2024, on the legal consequences arising from Israel’s policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, I wholeheartedly support the cross-party letter urging the government to immediately publish its response to the ICJ Advisory Opinion on the legal consequences of the Israeli occupation and to take all necessary measures to adhere to the obligation of third party states “not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by Israel’s illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory” as the Court stipulated.
This must also include working to end the use of arbitrary detention of Palestinians by the IDF across the Occupied Territories. This remains one of the key blockers to securing a long-term and sustainable peace. We called for this in one of our most recent Conference Motions and will continue to push the UK Government on this issue.