Jacques and Jennifer continue their commentary on the escalating crisis in Gaza.

The United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that there is a risk of genocide by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza and that Israel has the responsibility to prevent acts of genocide by its armed forces. 

Meanwhile the United Nations is undermined again, by powers not wishing to comply with international agreements for peace and order. In the latest instance, the UN agency 'UNRWA', which provides support and assistance to 5.9 million Palestinians living across several countries in the nearby Middle East, (more than 2 million in Gaza), has had its funding suspended by several nations on the basis of unproven allegations by Israel against four of UNRWA's 13,000 workers in Gaza. 

Australia has suspended aid to people in Gaza through UNRWA, even while the ICJ has told Israel to improve the humanitarian situation for civilians in Gaza in the interests of preventing genocide.

References

Chris Hedges 2024, 'The four horsemen of Gaza's apocalypse', The Chris Hedges report, 22 January 2024.

Henry Reynolds 2024, 'Australia's brutal "rules-based international order" is on full display in Gaza', Pearls and irritations, 17 January 2024.

Margaret Reynolds 2024, 'Is this what Australia has become?', Pearls and irritations, 12 December 2023.

Addtional program notes

True to form, most of our mainstream commentators and politicians are still not making the connections: that Israel's accusations against UNRWA are part of (1) the long-term attempts of Israel to get rid of the UN agency (because it keeps the Palestinians alive and present in Gaza), and (2) a distraction from the consequences of the ICJ judgment for which Israel will have to justify itself before the end of February. Although Australia has a proud history in the establishing of the UN (as clearly detailed in Frank Bongiorno's recent 'Dreamers and Schemers'), more and more we confirm that we're standing on the wrong side of history. 

Meanwhile the death toll in Gaza grows to almost 30,000, and the figure for the wounded and incapacitated is moving towards 70,000. About 60 per cent of the infrastructure has been damaged. The intransigence and brutality of the Israeli government and army is clearly on show, aided and abetted by its Anglosaxon (not yet post-colonial) international friends providing them with the munitions, as well as strategic, political and propaganda support.

Time for Australia - and the Albo-Wong-Marles bubble - to reconsider its global political stance...?