John,
In response to the case brought by South Africa against Israel, the International Court of Justice ruled that Israel’s government is plausibly committing genocide.
The Court ordered Israel’s government to act immediately to prevent further harm to the Palestinian people—and to stop “acts of genocide” such as killing Palestinians and “causing serious bodily or mental harm” to Palestinians.
This ruling also puts the U.S. government on notice for enabling violations of the Genocide Convention. As a signer of the Genocide Convention, the U.S. government is legally obligated to prevent genocide.
With U.S. support, the Israeli government has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians in Gaza, forcibly displacing 2 million people within the already-densely-packed Gaza strip.
President Biden has sent thousands of bombs to Israel’s military, while blocking international efforts to stop the violence and watering down attempts to secure sufficient humanitarian aid.
Meanwhile, Israel’s government is still starving Palestinians in Gaza and depriving the trapped population of other basic needs for survival such as water, shelter, and medical assistance.
As the biggest funder of Israel’s military, U.S. government leaders have the power and the obligation to stop this unfolding genocide.
In addition to the order to prevent genocide, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) also ordered Israel to prevent and punish incitement to genocide, to immediately ensure “urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance” to Gaza, and to report back within a month to the court.
The only way to implement the Court’s orders is by facilitating a lasting ceasefire.
Let’s keep up the momentum and the pressure to end not only this genocide, but also the apartheid system that’s rooted in the racist dehumanization of Palestinians. Together, we’re demanding a world with equality and dignity for all people.
In solidarity,
Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib