Hague Group: “Concrete Measures” or Sack of Cement? Will It Move to Sanctions, Peace Force and Ensuring Aid to Gaza?

Will the meeting in Colombia be a coalescence of global opinion driving states to just action — or just more rhetoric from various officials that doesn’t result in needed action? Answers at bottom…

By Sam Husseini, Substack

Middle East Eye is now reporting that this coming week “Spain and Ireland to join more than 20 states to declare ‘concrete measures’ against Israel.” The “emergency summit” is due to be “held on 15-16 July, co-hosted by the governments of Colombia and South Africa as co-chairs of The Hague Group, to coordinate diplomatic and legal action to counter what they describe as ‘a climate of impunity’ enabled by Israel and its powerful allies.”

But the piece doesn’t really outline what those “concrete measures” might be. Moreover, many of these states are reportedly continuing to have economic relations with Israel, see below.

The conference will afford heads of state and other officials — most prominently UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, who also has a perch at Georgetown — a well-timed stage given that she was recently “sanctioned” by Rubio. He could hardly have done her a bigger favor. The question that should be centered is: ”Where are the sanctions on Israel as it commits crimes against humanity daily?”

Many officials obviously have a habit of making pronouncements and not following through with the clear legal solutions and requirements. In 2023 (and in 2014), many states said Israel was committing genocide but none would invoke the required Genocide Convention until South Africa finally did so in late 2023 after thousands pushed for it. Indeed, incredibly, Albanese herself refused to call for a state to invoke the Genocide Convention until it was done.

And I have remarkably seen no clear reference from the Hague Group — or even its allied group Progressive International — pursuing Uniting for Peace resolutions at the UNGA which would demand sanctions on imperial Israel or provide a peace force to protect the Palestinians in Gaza it is slaughtering daily. Here’s a piece that outlines how we can build on the 1981 (South Africa) and 1956 (Gaza/Sinai) precedents of decisive UNGA action.