An adverse ICJ ruling on Nicaragua in 1984 shows how the U.S. subverts international law when it chooses.
By Jon Schwarz, The Intercept
On Friday, the International Court of Justice — part of the United Nations — issued an interim ruling in the case initiated by South Africa asserting that Israel “is committing genocide in manifest violation of the Genocide Convention.” What happens now?
The court did not make a determination on South Africa’s first request, which was to instruct Israel to “immediately suspend its military operation in and against Gaza” — i.e., engage in a ceasefire.
However, the ICJ did demand that Israel take actions that for all intents and purposes do require it to stop its assault on Gaza. “Israel must,” the ICJ stated, “take all measures in its power to prevent the commission of all acts within the scope of Article II of this [Genocide] Convention, in particular: (a) killing members of the group [i.e., Palestinians in Gaza].”
If history is anything to go by, the United States will now step in to prevent any enforcement of the ICJ’s ruling. While it’s totally forgotten today by Americans — and indeed was barely noticed at the time — the ICJ responded to a complaint from Nicaragua during the 1980s by ruling that the U.S. had violated international law in numerous ways by mining Nicaragua’s harbors and supporting the Contras in their attempt to overthrow the country’s Sandinista government.
Recent Posts
This May Day, Let’s Follow The Lead Of Immigrant Workers
May 1, 2024
Take Action Now Let’s follow the lead of immigrant workers organizing for a world without borders — this May Day and beyond. by David Bennion and…
UK Students Begin New Wave Of Protests Against Gaza War After US Arrests
May 1, 2024
Take Action Now Protests planned in Sheffield, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle and other universities in show of solidarity with Palestinians By Sally…
Police Storm Columbia’s Campus And Violently Arrest Protestors
May 1, 2024
Take Action Now “The U.S. government and institutions like Columbia are showing that they would rather brutalize students than divest from…
They Arrested Us. I Hope It Brings An End To Nuclear Weapons.
May 1, 2024
Take Action Now About 50 people protested April 15 outside the Kansas City National Security Campus, a plant run by Honeywell, calling for an end to…