The long running Israeli genoide against the Palestinian people has brought into focus the inability of international institutions to intervene. As said below, “a system that permits the killing of an estimated 61,000 people is not merely failing-it has failed.”
The Gaza Strip has been a focal point of international criticism due to the humanitarian crisis exacerbated by Israel’s blockade and repeated military operations.
The Biden administration vetoed United Nations Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza.
The Trump administration has done many things to thwart the legitimacy of international efforts to stop Israel, perhaps most visibly by inviting the prime minister of Israel to the White House after arrest warrants for him were issued by the International Criminal Court.
Benjamin Netanyahu
Allegedly responsible for the war crimes of starvation as a method of warfare and of intentionally directing an attack against the civilian population; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts from at least 8 October 2023 until at least 20 May 2024.
Accused of:
War crimes
Crimes against humanity
Arrest warrant issued on 21 November 2024
Recent actions by the US Congress and the administration.
- Sanctions on the ICC: President Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the ICC. The order cites the ICC’s illegitimate actions targeting the U.S. and its allies, including Israel.
- Legislation to Counter ICC Actions: The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act (H.R.23) was introduced to impose sanctions on foreign persons assisting the ICC in investigating, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting certain individuals.
It is shocking to see a country that considers itself a champion of the rule of law trying to stymie the actions of an independent and impartial tribunal set up by the international community, to thwart accountability. Threats against the ICC promote a culture of impunity. They make a mockery of the decades-long quest to place law above force and atrocity.
Ben Saul, special rapporteur on counter-terrorism and human rights
An article today is titled US ‘destroying’ world order.
Hague Group
I previously wrote about the Hague Group, which was convened by Progressive International and includes nine founding member states: Belize, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa.
The assault against the Palestinian people echoes dark chapters in our own countries’ histories
The Hague Group
“Nine nations are set to meet today, January 31, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands, launching The Hague Group with the goal of holding Israel accountable for its alleged violations of international law in the Gaza Strip. The nations aim to announce coordinated legal, economic, and diplomatic measures as part of their commitment to uphold Palestinian rights.”
Nations Launch Legal Action Against Israel at the Hague by The Pinnacle Gazette, Jan 31, 2025
The Hague Group is born of necessity. We must stand together to defend the principles of justice, equality, and human rights.
Co-General Coordinator of the Progressive International, Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla
South Africa’s international relations minister, Ronald Lamola, said: “The Hague Group’s formation sends a clear message: no nation is above the law, and no crime will go unanswered”.[1] According to its inaugural statement, the group upholds national obligations to “end the Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine and support the realisation of the inalienable right of the Palestinian People to self-determination, including the right to their independent State of Palestine”.[4][8]
The member states agreed to prevent the provision or transfer of weapons, ammunition and related equipment to Israel in all cases where there is a clear risk that these weapons would be used to commit or facilitate violations of international humanitarian law or genocide. The nine countries announced that they would prevent ships used to transport weapons or military fuel to Israel from docking at any of their ports.[3] At the launch of The Hague Group, Chair Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla said, “By coordinating commitments across our ports, across our factories, across our courts, the Hague Group aims to build a bulwark to defend international law.” [4][8] Supporters present at the launch event included members of independent UN commissions, human rights lawyers, and parliamentarians from several countries including Yanis Varoufakis and Jeremy Corbyn.[5]
Yesterday, Cyril Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, Anwar Ibrahim, prime minister of Malaysia, Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia, and Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, general coordinator of Progressive International and acting chair of the Hague Group wrote why they launched the Hague Group.
What remains of the international order? For more than 500 days, Israel, enabled by powerful nations providing diplomatic cover, military hardware, and political support, has systematically violated international law in Gaza. This complicity has dealt a devastating blow to the integrity of the United Nations Charter and its foundational principles of human rights, sovereign equality, and the prohibition of genocide. A system that permits the killing of an estimated 61,000 people is not merely failing—it has failed.
The evidence, livestreamed to our phones and assessed by the world’s top courts, is unequivocal. From the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories to the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israel’s top leaders to the preliminary measures issued in the Genocide Convention case brought by South Africa, Israel’s actions constitute clear violations of international law.
Yet, despite these rulings, the violations persist, enabled by nations that brazenly challenge the world’s top courts—with sanctions on officials, employees, and agents of the ICC and open defiance of the court’s orders.
The recent proposal by U.S. President Donald Trump to “take over” Gaza—meaning annexation followed by ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population, who Trump has suggested should be deported to Egypt and Jordan—strikes at the very foundations of international law, which the global community has a duty to defend. Such actions, if pursued, would constitute a grave violation of international law and the fundamental principles enshrined in the U.N. Charter.
The assault against the Palestinian people echoes dark chapters in our own countries’ histories—South Africa under apartheid, Colombia during counterinsurgency, and Malaysia under colonial rule. These struggles remind us that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We may hail from different continents, but we share the conviction that complacency is complicity in such crimes. The defense of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination is a collective responsibility.
Why We Launched The Hague Group. Israel’s actions strike at the foundations of international law. Only collective state action can end impunity. By Cyril Ramaphosa, Anwar Ibrahim , Gustavo Petro , Varsha Gandikota-Nellutla, Z Network, March 5, 2025
unflinching 