“I strongly believe that the day of reckoning will come for Israel, and I hope that behavioural changes will result from the findings of the ICJ’s report and the loss of legitimacy.”
Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, has reportedly said he “strongly believes that the day of accountability for Israel is coming.”
His comments were made during a press briefing at the “Reassessing International Law After Gaza” conference, hosted by Boğaziçi University’s Law Faculty in Istanbul, reported the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.
“I strongly believe that the day of reckoning will come for Israel, and I hope that behavioral changes will result from the findings of the ICJ’s report and the loss of legitimacy,” Rajagopal said.
‘Watershed Moment’ – Reaction to ICJ Findings on Israeli Occupation of Palestinian Territory
The UN expert highlighted a noticeable increase in mobilization against extremist Zionism in Israel over the past fifteen years and suggested that while immediate accountability might not be forthcoming, a shift in Israeli policies is imminent, the report said.
International Action
He questioned why the international community had not taken more decisive action, noting Israel’s alleged violations of UN principles and its treatment of UN personnel and organizations.
“Why is it that we don’t overthrow it? It contradicts all the ideals of the UN Charter, kills UN staff wherever it wants, and labels UNRWA as a terrorist organization,” Rajagopal said.
He argued that while the UN Security Council’s actions are impeded by the American veto, the General Assembly could potentially act by imposing sanctions or arms embargoes.
‘Blatant Disregard’ – UNRWA Attacked for Safeguarding Palestinian Refugees’ Rights
The UN expert urged the Global South, which constitutes a majority in the General Assembly, to leverage its power within the UN framework.
“The General Assembly has these powers,” he added. “The question is: Why do the countries of the Global South, who make up the majority and condemn Israel, not utilize the power they hold within the UN Charter?”
Rajagopal also called for various measures against Israel, including economic sanctions and trade bans.
‘Decolonization’
The conference was aimed at bringing together a large number of academics and experts from around the world to critically examine the current international legal order, particularly in the aftermath of Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
Under the theme ‘Rethinking International Law After Gaza,’ delegates held discussions on decolonization; fairness, universality and legitimacy of international law and epistemological challenges; the intersection of international law with war and violence; business and human rights post-Gaza, according to the conference website.
It further sought “to challenge prevailing Eurocentric perspectives, fostering a platform for scholars to explore new approaches for a justice-oriented international legal order.”
‘Flagrant Violation’ – Palestine Seeks ICC Arrest Warrant against Smotrich’s Call to Starve Gazans
Ongoing Genocide
Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire, Israel has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza.
Tel Aviv is currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 39,677 Palestinians have been killed, and 91,645 wounded. Moreover, at least 11,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
(PC, WAFA)
Cut the sh!t. No one is going to do anything. Read back 10 years and you see the same reports we hear today: Israel murdered babies, they used white Phosphorus, they used starvation tactics, war crimes, and America brushed them off and put a smiley face Band-Aid on their knee…awwwwww…
blahblahblah…
stop talking about it and do something!
( this message will be here in 10 years…
will ” Israel “? )
Absolute truth Kronikdenny. I remember priests pleading for peace in the Middle East at mass when I was a young boy. I’m 58 next month. A two-state solution was a convenient myth. It placated the people while the land-grabbing and savagery continued.
Now you kill 40,000 people and get an additional 3.5 billion dollars in military aid. Israel is as evil as they come. USA, EU, UN . . . Complicit AF.
“In the face of protests from Republican lawmakers over the findings of abuse related to the battalion, Blinken said he would allow aid to continue to the unit in order to give Israel time to address the wrongdoing.”