Letters

Israel and the International Court of Justice

Accusations of genocide

Sat Jan 13 2024 - 00:07

Sir, – Despite repeated demands from countries across the world and international aid agencies for Israel to agree a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, the ferocity of the attacks on innocent civilians continues to intensify right across the strip. As the death toll now exceeds 23,000 people, it seems everyone there, young or old, is eligible for death. Those who survive the air and artillery strikes find themselves in dire need of food, water, medicine, fuel and shelter. Time and legal arguments will tell if what is happening in Gaza, and increasingly on the West Bank, amounts to genocide.

As far as accusations of war crimes are concerned, the case against Israel would appear to be more compelling. In his book The Making of the Modern Middle East, BBC Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen wrote: “Wars are not just huge, noisy engines of destruction and chaos. They also seep into lives like a virus. When war takes hold, it does not simply break bodies, hearts and minds. It poisons the future.” – Yours, etc,

MICHAEL CULLEN,

Sandycove,

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Co Dublin.

Sir, – In its defence against the charge of genocide before the International Court of Justice, Israel insisted that it has made every effort to minimise civilian casualties in Gaza.

If one were to take this claim seriously – and I do not – then it must be said that Israel has failed abysmally. – Yours, etc,

FINTAN LANE,

Lucan,

Co Dublin.

Sir, – South Africa has decided to accuse Israel of genocide and has taken a case to the International Court of Justice. This is the same South Africa that refused to arrest Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir when he was on their soil, despite him being indicted by the International Criminal Court. This is the same South Africa, whose president, Cyril Ramaphosa, last week met Mohamad Dagalo, the head of the Rapid Support Forces militia responsible for an actual genocide in Darfur.

Our Government’s refusal to join this calumny is to be welcomed. It is to be hoped the International Court of Justice sees this for what it is – a grotesque effort by the South African ANC government to divert people’s attention from its corrupt mismanagement of that country. – Yours, etc,

PAUL WILLIAMS,

Kilkee,

Co Clare.