Officials who supplied, incited or cheered on Israel’s monstrous atrocities have faced no legal jeopardy. That changed with South Africa’s reference to the International Court of Justice.
The Peace Palace, seat of the International Court of Justice, at The Hague, Netherlands. (UN Photo/ICJ/Jeroen Bouman, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
By Craig Murray
CraigMurray.org.uk
Expect the U.K. to intervene on Israel’s side in the South African case against Israel for genocide at the International Court of Justice.
If Israel loses, British ministers, civil servants and military personnel could end up in the dock for genocide — not only in the Hague, but in the U.K.
Infamously, U.K. courts give no force to international treaties even when the U.K. has ratified them, unless they are specifically incorporated in U.K. domestic legislation.
The Genocide Convention was explicitly incorporated into U.K. law in 1969 by the Genocide Act. However the Genocide Act was repealed in 2001 and replaced by Section 51 of the International Criminal Court Act.
That is perfectly clear. Article 53 makes plain that this includes ancillary offences, e.g. aiding and abetting genocide.
What has the U.K. government done to aid and abet the genocide? It has:
1) Actively encouraged and incited genocide, including by the systematic obstruction of ceasefire resolutions at the U.N. Security Council;
2) Provided military equipment to Israel, with dozens of flights from RAF Akrotiri to Israel during the course of the genocide itself;
3) Provided communications intelligence to Israel to assist in genocide;
4) Provided aerial surveillance to Israel to assist in genocide.
[See: Craig Murray: Activating the Genocide Convention and Craig Murray: Stopping Genocide]
These are for certain. It is also widely rumoured that U.K. Special Forces have participated directly in the genocide. That is something the prosecution will have to determine.
There has been a great sense of impunity among the Zionist-controlled political classes: they have believed that they were in no danger of any personal retribution for their part in the brutal destruction of thousands and thousands of young children. In fact they felt able to turn the power of the state against anybody protesting that destruction.
There has been no legal jeopardy to anybody supplying, inciting or cheering on Israel’s monstrous atrocities. The jeopardy has all been felt by those opposing the atrocities.
South Africa Changed All That
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa arriving for U.N. General Assembly in New York, Sept. 19, 2023. (U.N. Photo/Loey Felipe)
That all changed with South Africa’s reference to the International Court of Justice. A determination of genocide by the International Court of Justice must be respected by the International Criminal Court and it will be impossible even for the odious Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, to avoid bringing prosecutions against the perpetrators.
Similarly in the U.K., the fact of genocide being legally established, a police investigation will be obliged simply to focus on whether the U.K. aided and abetted it.
Quite simply, if you ask the police to investigate U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for aiding and abetting genocide today, they will laugh at you and say there is no genocide. After an ICJ judgment they can no longer do that.
Now I am not naive. Just as our rulers believe their backs are covered by Karim Khan at the International Criminal Court, they believe that their backs are covered in the U.K. by the provision that any prosecution must be with the consent of the attorney general. A government therefore has to agree to the prosecution.
Karim Khan in 2017. (UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons)
I gave evidence at great length to the police inquiry into U.K. complicity in C.I.A. torture and extraordinary rendition, in which former Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Foreign Secretary Jack Straw had so much blood on their hands it would fill swimming pools. There were of course never any prosecutions.
But the world changes over time, and it feels like something has seriously shifted in both the international and domestic order from the open espousal by our ruling classes of the most extreme atrocities, happening again and again and again in plain sight.
Our ruling classes may find they are less fixed in power than they believe. I would not bet on their impunity being permanent. There is a good precedent of participants in the Holocaust being brought to justice many decades later. We may yet see justice, and I believe a good deal sooner than that.
Craig Murray is an author, broadcaster and human rights activist. He was British ambassador to Uzbekistan from August 2002 to October 2004 and rector of the University of Dundee from 2007 to 2010. His coverage is entirely dependent on reader support. Subscriptions to keep this blog going are gratefully received.
This article is from CraigMurray.org.uk.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
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Obama/ Biden/ Hillary supported Saudi’s Yemeni Genocide, which continued through Trump and Biden. Iran has publicly backed the Houthis, and their rapprochement with Saudi Arabia has at least temporarily slowed the Genocide.
VP Biden was instrumental in the civil war UkroNAZI Genocide of ethnic Russian Ukrainians between 2014 and 2022, when provoked Russia finally responded.
Now Biden is supporting Israel’s Palestinian Genocide.
Evidently if you support “American Democracy”, you support Genocide of the untermenschen.
BRAVO!!! South Africa…and SHAME on all WHITE RACE nations.
The Cull of the Snipers
On the Great March of Return (2018-19), Gazans marched to the Great Barrier Fence in their thousands, demonstrating their indigenous rights in Negev.
200 were shot dead through the fence by Defence Forces.
Snipers also took pot shots just to wound. ’42 knees’ emerged as a meme in social media. (ask Eden, see Haaretz)
Snipers gave some of them 3 to 5 bullet wounds. But they survived, awaiting the Day the Flood.
On October 2nd 1400 occupier/military abused the Al-Aqsa mosque, the signal for the Cull.
1400 snipers to be avenged!
1400 with 3 to 5 bullet wounds, ready to strike back.
On October 7th I saw British politicians talk about ‘1400 civilians’ dead when the Fence failed.
Israel’s wrong to defend itself with a Fence, it can’t. Bloody nose, it was.
Gazan forces killed the snipers in Negev (80% men),
In Gaza 80% of the dead are women and children.
I sincerely hope to God that South Africas attempt will be completely successful.
if people would focus their anger on the global war machine they might grow up a bit. by your own logic since the us supports israel there should be an all out assault on dc. why not just focus on the invisible ones in the background who cause most of the trouble for a few million whatevers.
The ” global war machine” needs a serious master. I do not see that happening under the current structure. You know that ole’, “the best government money can buy”. That system is exactly what has brought us to our current Fix. Time for new leadership and a level playing field, if that is it’s not already too late.
I have no interest in the effort of something tantamount to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, in order to fix the ships leak. And I’m in my mid seventies. None of us have the luxury of limitless time on our side, be you seven or seventy. Or what ever.
In fact, I believe, I do a great job of pointing out who I feel are the offending parties.
The degenerative process that has taken control of the United States Government has a cause, which at this point, in my humble opinion, is patently obvious.
“why not focus on the invisible ones in the backgound . . . . . . . ?” I do so quite frequently, IMHO.
The money in government these days has corrupted the government and in doing so the Department of Justice was the first victim.
In DOJ’s haste to curry favor with the U.S. Nation’s security and intelligence apparatus, again IMHO, and the did so because that apparatus could have ruined them or worse.
I will give you credit though, you have it almost right. Your proposal to focus in the invisible is a novel idea, but you overlook who those invisible ones are. The problem I see is that the invisible have a pretty solid wall of separation between themselves and those they work directly for. Hard to make connections between one party or the other through it. Money on the other hand seems to invisibly travel right through it.
But thanks anyway.
Thanks CV
And i’ve said it before Drew, who is brave enough to do that. (Rhetorical question)
genocide bad; mass murder okay
Or maybe the Congo sources are several saying Israel is in secret talks there about plan to “resettle” Palestinians there – some voluntary plan. WTF
For the record, I see no difference between “Zionist Freaks” in Israel and those in the US government who should not be allowed there. It is a Dogdamend conflict of interest.
No passes for creeps who work for the U.S. government watering down negative policy constraints that should be leveled against the blood thirsty in the Israeli government.
Ah, I’m not so sure, what about the Ben-Gurion canal project?
I’m not so sure about what may happen, however a couple of tidbits from Vol 1 of Whitney Webb’s ONE NATION UNDER BLACKMAIL suddenly have become relevant to one mid-western state, the state of confusion, Illinois.
I have no clue of her sources, other than what is revealed in the notes in her but Ms. Webb figures things out. So far she is not getting sued and for good reason. p30,31,&32 – p388 now relevant info on the PROMIS – INSLAW AFFAIR scandal. p439 she exposes a dated trump – pritzker relationship.
In the notes for Chapter 10, p459 #40 “B’nai B’rith Testimonial Dinner in honor of Roy Cohn,” May 2, 1983
hXXps://consortiumnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Cohn-Dinner/pdf.
Get access to the books. Vol1 is my current focus here. go to the index and look up the Pritzker name.
He is linked to Hillary Clinton was the co-chair of her 2008 nation campaign, delegate to Dem convention and again 2016 was delegate to Dem convention.
Friggin’ billionaires.
Be a kind Human in honor of our friend Robert Parry.
Thanks CN
Unfortunately Drew, it’s that kind of thinking that has produced the world we currently live in with all the violence and hatred. How different are we to respond with violence from those who practice violence that we criticize? It makes no sense. Violence is easy, peace is hard; violence never resolves anything.
“violence never resolves anything” – so the Russians should have accepted German occupation? The European resistance movements during WWII should have asked the Nazis politely to leave? The North Vietnamese Army should have tried boycotting Coca-Cola?
Defending your nation when being attacked is very different from deliberately going in and annihilating Israel by whomever Drew is suggesting should do so. I doubt Palestinians are looking to annihilating all Israelis. That is revenge the motive of current regime in Israel behind the current extreme violence. Revenge is very different from defending one’s people. Surely you must know the difference.
Excellent points Rebecca.
Stay strong.
Your observations of the UK court circus with Baraitser mocking
justice in her treatment of Julian Assange, makes you certainly
“not naïve.” You are a brilliant observer of court systems gone
bad.
Israel is considering Alan Dershowitz as a lawyer for their
prosecution, (Al-Jazeera), he was revealed to be an ignorant
Zionist in debate with Noam Chomsky. Both Jewish.
What in the world of corrupt Western governments is your hope grounded?
The same court circus still toying with Julian’s fate will mock, along
with law enforcement, any International Court of Justice prosecution.
Please, tell all your CN commentators why you believe in a different outcome.
I too believe something has shifted globally to make South Africa’s appeal to the ICJ more likely to succeed than the perpetrators think it will. It is at the point when power brokers truly believe in their absolute impunity that they fall. May this finally be their moment to make that discovery.
Thank you South Africa for starting the process of accountability. The world owes you a debt of gratitude for your willingness to be the first country to begin this much needed process. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Thank you, Craig, and thank South Africa. At least someone has stood up and called the atrocities of war what they are. Regardless of the outcome there is a bookmark now in that grisly, blood soaked page page of history. A witness has stood up to be counted, and that voice cannot be erased or ignored. The world watches.
” . . . the open espousal by our ruling classes of the most extreme atrocities, happening again and again and again in plain sight.”
Awareness of this reality is increasing.
There has been a continuous stream of crimes over the past several decades with increasing brazenness, the supremacist mentality run amok. Orwell’s reversals become doctrine as with Blinken and his use of innocent Palestinians as human shields rhetoric. Implied: these innocents = Hamas. “This is not crime; it’s self-defense.” Now to “invitations.” Your house is collapsing from the bombs, children with limbs torn off, places of refuge attacked, escape avenues become attack corridors and we are seriously concerned about having you leave Gaza for your safety.
I’m with Craig. A reckoning is coming.
The US needs ICJ prosecution of its political class profiting from genocide by Israel.
Of course the US refuses to sign the Treaty of Rome submitting to ICJ judgments.
The criminal US also passed the “Servicemen Protection Act” which actually provides
for a military attack against the ICJ and the Hague if it prosecutes US murderers.
It pays good for the gangsters who make up every branch of US government.
Genocide victims don’t have the bucks so they aren’t counted in a demoncracy.
Being the skeptic that I am, I would bet on their impunity outliving outliving any of those who are guilty.
Having said that, one can always hope.
I agree. This is not the watershed, but it is another small sign that the Euro-American empire is beginning to lose its centuries-long grip on the world.
1. Never trust anybody who shaves their head.
2. Nobody will be persecuted until “The West” (read the US) loses control over the international organizations.
He didn’t shave his head Jeff. It’s just upside-down.
“There is a good precedent of participants in the Holocaust being brought to justice many decades later. We may yet see justice, and I believe a good deal sooner than that.” Craig, I hope and pray you are a 100% right.
“Rights group says Boris Johnson could be ‘perverting the course of justice’”
“The International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), a UK-based human rights organisation, has condemned the former British prime minister’s comments regarding a UK police investigation into war crimes in Gaza.”
“ICJP utterly condemns the reckless and dangerous language used by Johnson and will consider making a complaint about his conduct,” the organisation said in a statement shortly after Johnson’s comments were published by the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
ICJP Director Tayab Ali said that Johnson’s remarks followed similar actions as prime minister when he “openly opposed the International Criminal Court’s investigation into alleged Israeli war crimes”.
Aljazeera 4 jan
Here’s the Telegraph article:
Xxxx://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/01/03/boris-johnson-condemns-police-investigation-israel-gaza/