CONSCIENCE AGAINST GENOCIDE – LONDON, JANUARY 27, 2024
I recognize that it may seem indecent to suggest that there could be a
silver lining in a genocide. The ongoing genocide is horrific, and every
conceivable effort should be exerted to bring it to a prompt end.
However, concerned people of conscience should also be thinking now
of both creative and practical ways by which the outrage and disgust of
most of mankind could be constructively built upon to advance the
cause of peace with some measure of justice.
The international lawyer and historian John McHugo has recently
written: “Paradoxically, the atrocities of 7 October and their grim
aftermath might bring something like a settlement of the
Israel/Palestine question closer -- if only because they are forcing the
international community to focus its attention on the need to reach a
peace which reflects justice.” I agree.
Before October 7, the Question of Palestine had virtually dropped off
the world’s radar. Most Israelis assumed that the status quo -- a
perpetual occupation and an effective apartheid one-state reality -- was
both sustainable and the best of all possible worlds for them.
The Palestinians still living in Palestine appeared resigned to their fate
and their oppression or incapable of doing anything to change it or
both.
The events which commenced on October 7 have constituted a wake-
up call to the world and have wrought a transformational change,
restoring Palestine to the front and center of the world’s consciousness
and causing people throughout the world who had not previously given
much or any thought to Palestine to become aware of the massive
injustices inflicted on the Palestinian people not just recently but over
the past century.
The manifestations of solidarity with the Palestinian people throughout
the Global South and, particularly among young people and people of
color, even in Western countries have been hugely encouraging, not
just for the Palestinian people but for humanity as a whole.
This transformational change offers opportunities which can and must
be built upon.
I will briefly mention two significant opportunities to build upon this
surge of consciousness and solidarity.
While It was disappointing that the International Court of Justice did
not explicitly order an immediate ceasefire, in all other respects the
court’s near-unanimous decision was highly positive.
Indeed, the court did order Israel to take all measures within its power
to prevent the killing or the causing of serious bodily or mental harm to
Palestinians in Gaza -- an order impossible to comply with without
ceasing fire.
While ICJ orders are binding and non-appealable, it is clear that Israel
will ignore the ICJ’s order, as it has ignored the court’s near-unanimous
2004 opinion on the illegality of the Apartheid Wall and all “binding”
and “non-binding” UN resolutions against it.
However, it will be extremely awkward for the governments of the
United States, the United Kingdom and other Western countries to defy
a “binding” order of the world’s highest judicial authority by continuing
to support, militarily, financially and diplomatically, Israel’s genocidal
assault against the people of Gaza.
Some member of the UN Security Council (most likely Algeria, the new
non-permanent member representing the Arab world since January 1)
should promptly introduce a resolution demanding that all states
comply with the ICJ’s order and not provide any form of support to any
state not complying with the order.
If the United States were to veto such a resolution, it would be
reconfirming that the subservience of its political class to Israeli
domination and control has reduced the United States to the status,
like Israel, of an outlaw, rogue and virtually pariah state.
Even President Biden might hesitate to publicly declare such blatant
contempt for the rule of law.
Whatever choice the U.S. government makes, law-abiding governments
with humane principles, encouraged by their own people, should then
apply sanctions, embargoes and boycotts consistent with the Genocide
Convention’s requirements and the court’s order.
In addition, President Biden and spokespeople for his administration
have been insisting on an almost daily basis that a “two-state solution”
is the only “solution” and one that is very much in the interests of
Israelis, while the European Union and individual European states have
been following the American lead and climbing, at least rhetorically,
aboard the “two-state solution” bandwagon.
The only way to test whether President Biden is now sincere and
serious about actually achieving a “two-state solution” is for the State
of Palestine to apply to the UN Security Council for a status upgrade
from observer state to full member state and thereby to challenge the
U.S. government to demonstrate its sincerity and seriousness by not
vetoing Palestine’s application. -- indeed, better yet, by voting in favor
of the application and itself joining the 139 other states, encompassing
the vast majority of mankind, which have already extended diplomatic
recognition to the State of Palestine.
In the current circumstances and in the context of current American
rhetoric, a decision to veto Palestinian statehood would be an act of
profound self-harm and self-humiliation that would make the United
States look ridiculous.
UN member state status would not be purely symbolic. The occupation
of the entire territory of a UN member state by another UN member
state could not be permitted to continue indefinitely and without
consequences. The writing would be well and truly on the wall.
The Palestinian leadership in Ramallah should seize this unprecedented
but time-sensitive opportunity to transform the current two-state
legality in international law into a two-state reality on the ground.
For more than 100 days, the Palestinian people have been paying an
unimaginably high price to produce transformational change toward
some measure of justice.
All people of conscience should do whatever they can to help.
John V. Whitbeck
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Global Justice in the 21st Century Read on blog or Reader EMERGENCY LONDON CONFERENCE OF GLOBAL INTELLECTUALS OF CONSCIENCE ON JANUARY 27, 2024 TO STOP GENOCIDE IN GAZA
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[Prefatory Note: Program of London Conference of Conscience and Concern to Stop Genocide held on January 27, and live streamed and recorded for later distribution; it comes the day after the historic ruling by the ICJ on South Africa's request for Provisional Measures to stop genocide.]
EMERGENCY LONDON CONFERENCE OF GLOBAL INTELLECTUALS OF CON-SCIENCE ON JANUARY 27, 2024
Opening Session
09.30-10.30
Ahmet Davutoğlu, Former Foreign Minister and Prime Minister, Türkiye; Author of Strategic Depth
Richard Falk, UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied since 1967 (2008-2014), Professor of International Law Emeritus, Princeton University, Chair of Global Law, at Queen Mary University of London, UK, Department of Law
Coffee Break: 10.30-11.00
Session One: Realities and Prospects. 11.00 -12.30
Depicting the Ordeal: Including Clear and Present Dangers of Present Stalemate—from forced dis-placement across borders—ethnic cleansing, prolonging genocide
Moderator: Hilal Elver, Professor of International Law, UN Special Rapporteur on Right to Food (2014-2020), Türkiye
1.Izzeldin Abuelaish, Doctor, Author, Palestine/Canada;
2. Avi Shlaim, Historian; Author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World, Oxford,UK / Israel
3.Mustafa Barghouti, Physician, Human Rights Activist, Political Leader, West Bank, Palestine,Coffee Break: 12.30-13.00
Session Two: Towards Action 13.00-14.30
Realistic commitments to action beyond words, what civil society can do to uphold international law and findings within UN, and on its own to mount pressures to push Israel to end its Gaza onsla-ught by immediate ceasefire, emergency relief and reconstruction campaign, and political admi-nistration of Gaza and restraint of settler violence
Moderator: Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti Emeritus of Bosnia, President of the World Bosniak Congress Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Ramzy Baroud, Author, Academic, Editor of The Palestine Chronicle, Palestine/ USA
- Phyllis Bennis, Journalist, Author and Social Activist, Institute of Policy Studies, Australia;
3. Walden Bello, Philippines, Professor, Activist, and Politician
4. Usman Bugaje, Professor, Former Chair, House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Nigeria's House of Representatives, Nigeria
5. John Whitbeck, International Lawyer and Author, Paris
( Maybe Zoom: Tu Weiming, Member of UN Group of Eminent Persons for the Dialogue Among Civilizations, Professor Emeritus, Harvard University, USA; Founding Director of the Institute for Advanced Humanistic Studies, Peking University, China)
Lunch: 14.30-15.30
Session Three: Empowering of the UN; Peoples Tribunal of Conscience 15.30-17.00
An exploration of more ambitious action projects that seek to create a greater awareness of full sco-pe of Gaza Criminality, and UN reforms that could do more to prevent any future recurrence of ge-nocide or other severe international crimes.
Moderator: Avery F. Gordon, Professor Emerita University of California Santa Barbara, USA;
1. Richard Falk
2. Penny Green, Professor of Law and Globalization, Director, International State Crime Initiative Queen Mary University of London.
3. Maung Zarni, Human Rights Activist, Non-resident Fellow, (Genocide) Documentation Center - Cambodia
4. Jan Oberg, Chairman of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, Lund, Sweden.
5. Asli Bali (Video message) Professor of Law, Yale University, School of Law.
Coffee Break: 17.00-17.30
Closing Session / Press Conference : 17.30
Moderator: Victoria Brittain, Former Associate Foreign Editor of the Guardian, Part of Founding Committee of Palestine Festival of Literature, for first 11 years organiser of the Palestine Book Awards, UK
- Ahmet Davutoğlu
- Richard Falk
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