On December 29, 2023, South Africa, a state party to the Genocide Convention, filed an 84-page application in the International Court of Justice (ICJ, or World Court) charging Israel with the crime of genocide in Gaza.
CODEPINK, World Beyond War, The People's Forum and RootsAction will visit UN missions, embassies and consulates to urge countries to submit a Declaration of Intervention in support of South Africa’s case.
Index:
What We Are Delivering to UN Missions, Embassies & Consulates
View World Beyond War’s Letter Urging UN Missions to Support South Africa
View article: International Coalition Rallies Over 1000 Organizations Globally TO Sign On To Letter Urging International Support For South Africa (CODEPINK. 1/09/24)
How To Get Involved
- Sign this petition, “Israel on trial?” to urge countries to submit a Declaration of Intervention in support of South Africa’s World Court case.
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Fill out this form to volunteer on the World Court campaign to hold Israel accountable for genocide in Gaza, where over 22,000 have been killed-10,000 of them children–53,000 wounded and two million uprooted from their homes.
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Volunteers are organized in the following cities: NYC, DC, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix, Raleigh, San Francisco, Seattle and Tampa. To organize a new team in another large city, email [email protected].
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Ask your organization to complete this: Organizational Sign-on Letter Calling on States to Support South Africa's Genocide Convention Case Against Israel at the ICJ
- Join our twitter team for Palestine Solidarity.
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Call your House & US Senate reps to urge them to issue a statement in support of reinstating funds for UNRWA (UN Relief Works Agency).
Capitol Hill switchboard: 202-224-3121
Sample Script: Hello, my name is __________ and I am your constituent in zip code ___________. Please issue a statement (email, social media post) urging the Biden administration to restore funding to UNRWA, the UN relief agency providing the bulk of humanitarian relief–water and food– to the imprisoned Palestinian people under Israeli assault in Gaza. To cut off funding for UNRWA at Israel’s request is to threaten 2.3 million Gazans with mass starvation and turn Gaza into an extermination camp. Demand the White House fund UNRWA and not undermine the World Court order demanding provision of humanitarian aid. The US must not commit genocide in my name. Thank you. Write diplomats from countries around the world to urge submission of a Declaration of Intervention in support of South Africa. Click here to contact others, too.
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Tweet to the White House press corps to ask the Biden administration, "What is the White House's plan to avert mass starvation after defunding UNRWA?"
Write diplomats from the following countries:
Chile
Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren Stork, @Minrel_Chile
UN Ambassador to Chile Paula Narváez: [email protected]
Lebanon
Foreign Minister of Lebanon Abdallah Bou Habib: [email protected]
UN Representative Amal Mudallali: [email protected]
Portugal
Prime Minister António Costa: https://www.portugal.gov.pt/en/gc23/prime-minister/contacts
Honorable UN Ambassador Ana Paula Zacarías: [email protected]
Spain
Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares: [email protected]
Honorable UN Ambassador Agustin Santos Maraver: [email protected]
View Sample letter here:
Dear Ambassador _____________:
My name is _____________ and I am a volunteer with CODEPINK, a national and international antiwar organization based in the United States. I am writing to urge your country to help stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza by 1) issuing a public statement in support of South Africa's case before the International Court of Justice, 2) supporting UNRWA as a lifeline for humanitarian aid to Gaza, 3) following up the preliminary ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with submission of a Declaration of Intervention to support South Africa's existing case 4) upholding your obligations under the Genocide Convention and/or international customary law to prevent and punish genocide.To honor your obligations, as a signatory without reservation to the Genocide treaty, CODEPINK asks your country to also take the following steps: a) Impose an oil, arms and tech embargo on Israel, along with other economic sanctionsb) Suspend Israel from activities at the UN c) Sever diplomatic relations with Israeld) Establish an international criminal tribunal to prosecute Israeli officials for genocidee) Admit Palestine as a full-fledged UN member stateIn light of Israel's flagrant violations of the ICJ orders to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza and to stop killing Palestinians as a group, it is incumbent upon all countries, whether parties to the Convention or not, to take immediate steps to punish Israel's bombardment of hospitals, cultural sites, and escape routes, its bulldozing of cemeteries, as well as its refusal to allow enough food and water to prevent mass starvation.Please do everything in your power to end this genocide by supporting South Africa’s case before the World Court and UN consequences and diplomatic consequence for its genocide in Gaza. Sincerely,
Press Releases or News from Supporting Countries
- Government of Reconciliation and National Unity of Nicaragua
- Bolivia (in Spanish)
- Venezuela (in Spanish)
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Malaysia
- Turkey
- The Maldives
- Iran
- Bangladesh
- Jordan
- Namibia
- Algeria’s statement at the UN Security Council (1/31/24)
- China’s statement at the UN Security Council (1/31/24)
- South Africa’s statement at the UN Security Council (1/31/24)
ICJ Court Related Links
THE HAGUE: South Africa v. Israel - DAY 1 - S.A. Oral Arguments - International Court of Justice
Israel Counters South Africa's Genocide Allegations At ICJ | Day 2 Of Hearing
UN Convention on Prevention and Punishment of Genocide
Countries That Ratified he UN Convention on Genocide & Have Standing to Apear Before the World Court (and can submit Declarations of Intervention)
Current Members (Judges) at the International Court of Justice
United Nations Uniting for Peace Resolution (passed in 1950)
Nicaragua’s Declaration of Intervention (1/16/24)
International Court of Justice Ruling (1/26/24)
Articles & Broadcasts of Interest
CODEPINK Radio: Genocide! (Host: Marcy Winograd. 2/7/24)
On this episode of CODEPINK Radio, Marcy Winograd shares how activists in Chicago pushed for a Gaza ceasefire resolution. Medea Benjamin discusses protests at Secretary of State Antony Blinken's home and CODEPINK's advocacy on Capitol Hill against arms sales to Israel. Later, Marcy interviews human rights attorney Francis Boyle about Israel's refusal to comply with World Court orders regarding Palestinians.
Israel’s evidence of UNRWA Hamas allegations examined(Lindsey Hilsum. Channel4.com., 2/5/24)
The International Court of Justice Censures Israel for Its Genocidal WarBY Vijay Prashad (2/1/24)
Defunding UNRWA is worse than collective punishment: Cutting funding for UNRWA at this time means furthering the Israeli genocide in Gaza.(Moncef Kane. Al Jazeera. 1/31/24)
Chris Hedges: The Silence of the Damned (Scheer Post, 1/31/24)
Israel Dismisses Genocidal Intent as ‘Random Assertions’ (1/12/24) Consortium News/Joe Lauria)
ICJ genocide case: South Africa’s five-point argument against Israel (Shola Lawal. AlJazeera. 1/12/24)
South Africa Files Case Against Israel at International Court of Justice over “Genocidal” War on Gaza (includes interview with Francis Boyle, international law expert).
Israel Is Terrified the World Court Will Decide It’s Committing Genocide
We want to END the GENOCIDE ! Leading diplomat behind SOUTH AFRICA' case vs ISRAEL speaks
Other Resources + Banners
Spreadsheet on diplomatic contacts, countries’ positions & article 9 reservations (courtesy of Sam Husseini)
UN Watch Power Point (created by Saleema Gul)
Download Banners and Posters below!
UN Stop Gaza Genocide Banner 1
UN Stop Gaza Genocide Banner 2
UN Stop Gaza Genocide Banner 3
UN Stop Gaza Genocide Poster 1
UN Stop Gaza Genocide Poster 2
