January 28, 2024
This morning I read through a rather a grotesque Twitter timeline (here sorted to tell the story):
Ali Abunimah @AliAbunimah - 22:09 UTC · Jan 26, 2024A “ceasefire” is what you demand in an armed conflict. In a genocide you demand an immediate end to all genocidal acts and that is exactly what the ICJ ordered with immediate effect. Please stop helping “Israel” spin its historic defeat as a win.
Scholars of Genocide Expert Group @GenocideExperts - 00:45 UTC · Jan 27, 2024Today's ICJ ruling embodies a historical and watershed moment. It is a vindication of what Palestinians, international law scholars, and genocide experts have been insisting upon for months; Israel's conduct against Palestinians is blatantly genocidal and must be stopped.
...
This ruling triggers third state obligations to prevent the commission of genocidal acts. @POTUS and others are now on further notice that their arming of the Israeli military could lead to legal complicity in Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians.
Lord Bebo @MyLordBebo - 21:44 UTC · Jan 26, 2024🇮🇱🇿🇦‼️🚨 30 DAYS: ICJ WHAT’S NEXT?
Israel has 30 days to ensure compliance with all ICJ orders, like restoring the humanitarian situation.
Should Israel fail to comply, South Africa will go the UN Security Council for enforcement and suggest a ceasefire resolution.
The ICJ is part of the UN ecosystem and its orders are bound by international law.Now, the US would be under immense pressure to grant this resolution since it’s essentially there to enforce international law.
Would the US or UK veto the ceasefire resolution which is proposed to enforce international law, they would finally and undeniably destroy their standing as “moral guardians”.🇺🇳 Now, in this scenario it could be referred back to the general assembly, where the UN starts creating mandatory orders for enforcement, like sanctions on Israel.
....
Secretary Antony Blinken @SecBlinken - 14:30 UTC · Jan 27, 2024Today, we mourn the more than six million Jews and persons of other groups murdered and persecuted during the Holocaust by the Nazis and their collaborators. We must apply the lessons of the Holocaust to combat all forms of intolerance and build a world where hate has no place.
RussianMissionEU @RusMission_EU - 8:33 UTC · Jan 27, 2024Reading the European Commission’s statement on the occasion of the International Day of Holocaust Remembrance, we found a mistake. It would be great if @EU_Commission corrects it. It was the Red Army who liberated the concentration and death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, not the Allied Forces.
🇷🇺Jacob🇷🇺Charite🇷🇺 @jaccocharite - 19:57 UTC · Jan 27, 2024People in St Petersburg, in remembrance of the victims of the fascists/nazis, lined up along Nevsky avenue holding candles. And the fireworks to celebrate the liberation of the city 80 years ago
Mikhail Ulyanov @Amb_Ulyanov - 22:27 UTC · Jan 27, 2024The blockade of #Leningrad, with at least one million civilian victims who died due to starvation,was ensured not only by German #Nazis. Finnish troops took an active part in this crime against humanity.
Elijah J. Magnier 🇪🇺 @ejmalrai - 19:36 UTC · Jan 27, 2024
#Israel has already violated the #ICJ decision after one day of the preliminary decision, killing today over 120 Palestinians in #Gaza, defined as "members of the group".
Haseeb Arslan @HaseebarslanUK - 22:03 UTC · Jan 27, 2024United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs in Gaza, says the months-long war has left 2.2 million people at risk of starvation in the Gaza Strip.
UNRWA @UNRWA - 22:36 UTC · Jan 27, 2024UNRWA is the primary humanitarian agency in #Gaza, with over 2 million people depending on it for their sheer survival.
93% of displaced families in southern governorates of📍#Gaza have reported inadequate food consumption.
People are desperate, hunger stalks everyone.
Assal Rad @AssalRad - 17:32 UTC · Jan 27, 2024Following a historic ICJ ruling that found Israel’s actions in Gaza are plausibly genocidal and emphasized the need for humanitarian aid to reach civilians, the Western world took swift action to … suspend funding to a UN agency that provides life-saving aid to civilians in Gaza.
sarah @sahouraxo - 18:52 UTC · Jan 27, 2024Israel kills 152 UNRWA workers in Gaza, the highest death toll among UN staffers ever, the US and UK don’t even blink.
The ICJ accuses Israel of committing potential genocide in Gaza, the US and UK respond by cutting funding to the UNRWA organisation, which saves lives in Gaza.
@trhxianl - 19:24 PM · Jan 27, 2024UNRWA was founded bc the UN condition to recognise “Israel” after 1948 was to let Palestinian refugees return to Palestine. “Israel” refused. So the world funded “relief & work for refugees.” This money is not gratitude, but compensation owed by the West to Palestinians.
Philippe Lazzarini @UNLazzarini - 20:44 UTC · Jan 27, 2024UNRWA lifesaving assistance is about to end following countries decisions to cut their funding to the Agency.
Our humanitarian operation, on which 2 million people depend as a lifeline in Gaza, is collapsing. I am shocked such decisions are taken based on alleged behavior of a few individuals and as the war continues, needs are deepening & famine looms.
Palestinians in Gaza did not need this additional collective punishment. This stains all of us.
Read my statement.
Helen Clark @HelenClarkNZ - 21:16 UTC · Jan 27, 2024Suspension of funding by 9 countries to @UNRWA amounts to further collective punishment of besieged #Gaza population.
#UNRWA is largest UN humanitarian & development service provider there. Staff accused of crimes have been dismissed. Do donors want relief operation to collapse?
Quds News Network @QudsNen - 21:52 UTC · Jan 27, 2024UN special rapporteur @FranceskAlbs: The day after ICJ concluded that Israel is plausibly committing Genocide in Gaza, some states decided to defund UNRWA, collectively punishing millions of Palestinians at the most critical time, and most likely violating their obligations under the Genocide Convention.
Laurence (Larry) Boorstein @LarryBoorstein - 0:00 UTC · Jan 28, 2024Israel's smears of UNRWA followed ICJ's Jan 26 ruling which stated "The Court also refers to the statement by the UNRWA Commissioner-General that the crisis in Gaza is “compounded by dehumanizing language”. It calls attention, in particular, to the following examples: statements made by Mr Yoav Gallant, Defence Minister of Israel, on 9 and 10 October 2023, by Mr Isaac Herzog, President of Israel, on 12 October 2023, and by Mr Israel Katz, then Minister of Energy and Infrastructure of Israel, on 13 October 2023." Israel wanted to get even with UNRWA and harm Palestinians, who depend on UNRWA for assistance.
Shamefully, the United States, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, Netherlands and Italy joined in smearing UNRWA and cutting off support to the agency and thus to Palestinians.
Norway in Palestine @NorwayPalestine - 13:59 UTC · Jan 27, 2024The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and @UNRWA is the most important humanitarian organization there. Norway continues our support for the Palestinian people through UNRWA. International support for Palestine is needed now more than ever
Reports that UNRWA staff were involved in the attacks on Israel on 7 October are deeply disturbing and, if true, completely unacceptable, Norway welcomes UNRWA's investigation into the matter. We expect full transparency.
We need to distinguish between what individuals may have done, and what UNRWA stands for. The organisation's tens of thousands of employees in Gaza, the West Bank and the region are playing a crucial role in distributing aid, saving lives and safeguarding basic needs and rights
Sam Husseini @samhusseini - 18:58 UTC · Jan 27, 2024Francis Boyle states that with States (including US and UK govs) cutting off funding to UNRWA, it is "no longer the case of these States aiding and abetting Israeli Genocide against the Palestinians in violation of Genocide Convention article 3 (e) criminalizing 'complicity' in genocide. These States are now also directly violating Genocide Convention article 2(c) by themselves: 'Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part...'"
Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz - 0:15 UTC · Jan 28, 2024So to recap —
Accusations of genocide deemed credible by the International Court of Justice: Preposterous lies. Not worth opposing a single massacre.
Unsubstantiated claims about UNRWA members extracted via torture: Gospel truth. Worthy of ending humanitarian support to Gazans.
Sulaiman Ahmed @ShaykhSulaiman - 2:49 UTC · Jan 28, 2024BREAKING: LIST OF COUNTRIES SUSPENDED FUNDS TO UNRWA
🇺🇸 United States: $223 million
🇩🇪 Germany: $127.3 million
🇨🇦 Canada: $76.8 million
🇦🇺 Australia: $20 million
🇳🇱 Netherlands: $19 million
.🇬🇧 United Kingdom: $12.2 million
🇮🇹 Italy: $3.27 million
🇫🇮 Finland: $5.45 million
🇨🇭 Switzerland: $3.3 million
Jeffrey Kaye @jeff_kaye - 4:57 UTC · Jan 28, 2024There must be an enhanced kind of irony going on, as every country on the list has been guilty of genocide at one time or another!
Yes, even little Finland, which joined with Nazi Germany during WW2, & participated in the Siege of Leningrad, which killed 1 million.
Caitlin Johnstone @caitoz - 22:39 UTC · Jan 27, 2024I understand the logic of lesser-evil voting. I just don't understand the logic of designating a president who backs a literal genocide and engages in nuclear brinkmanship a "lesser evil".
Posted by b on January 28, 2024 at 7:55 UTC | Permalink