Friday, January 26: Hague Schmaig
The ICJ fails to do anything of value for the Palestinian people
What good is an international court of justice if its power is limited and its sights are misdirected?
Unsurprisingly, the UN’s top court was unable to order any enforceable ceasefire in Gaza, proving that the entire charade of international values and humanitarian protections was nothing more than a mirage for Palestinians. South Africa initially brought the case and had asked the court to order Israel to halt its murderous operations. The ruling decision was made by a panel of 17 judges who overwhelmingly decided not to throw out the case, and ordered six so-called “provisional measures” to try and protect Palestinians in Gaza:
The apartheid state of Israel will immediately suspend its military operations in and against Gaza (uhhh yeah, I support this decree, but try telling that to the bombs falling from the sky)
The apartheid state of Israel will ensure that any of its military or murderous settler groups take no steps in the furtherance of the previously mentioned military operation (this also would be a welcome departure from the norm)
The Republic of South Africa and the apartheid state of Israel shall each take all reasonable measures within their power to prevent genocide (??? I don’t recall South Africa committing genocide in Palestine…am I missing something?)
The apartheid state of Israel shall desist from killing Palestinians, causing serious bodily harm to Palestinians, deliberately punishing Palestinians, in part or in whole, and imposing measures intended to prevent Palestinian births (this feels like the kinda thing more people should be outraged about)
The apartheid state of Israel shall desist from expelling and forcibly displacing Palestinians from their homes, and depriving them of adequate access to food, water, fuel, shelter, medical supplies, etc. In short, the apartheid state will cease “The destruction of Palestinian life in Gaza” (God willing, one day soon)
The apartheid state of Israel shall avoid engaging in direct and public incitement to commit genocide or complicity in genocide (you know, kinda like how the entire Israeli political administration has been doing loudly and publicly for some time now)
Finally, the apartheid state of Israel was ordered to submit to the ICJ a report of all measures taken to follow the court’s orders within one month. So I guess they’re prepared to stop short of calling it a genocide, but they want to see an Israeli book report in a month to help make a final determination? As expected, the court failed to deliver a resounding ruling or suitable punishment for Israel’s crimes, but that was never realistically going to play out. For now we can chalk this up as a (small) step in the right direction.
“The court is acutely aware of the extent of the human tragedy that is unfolding in the region and is deeply concerned about the continuing loss of life and human suffering.”
-Joan E. Donoghue, ICJ court president/acutely concerned bloke
Side Items
Sad Times: Jurgen Norbert Klopp, the 56 year old head coach of Liverpool Football Club and a living legend of the game, announced his intentions to step down at the end of this season. Of course, as fans you always know that your favorite players or coaches are all temporary and that any spell of good results is destined to end eventually, but it still stings to see Klopp go. He’s without question the greatest club manager I’ve seen as a Liverpool fan, and it’s hard to imagine who can possibly step in to fill his shoes (Xabi Alonso, please, think of the children). It also brings me one major step closer to recognizing that the good old days are perhaps behind us, with this season offering one last opportunity to collect some silverware and send Klopp off in style. Check on your Liverpool fan friends today, they’re probably hurting
Alabama’s Lethal First: Just a year after he survived a botched lethal injection attempt, Kenneth Smith of Alabama was used as a guinea pig in a new method of execution: death by nitrogen hypoxia. Smith is the second person in American history to face a second execution attempt after a failed effort. The first was back in 1946 in Louisiana, when an electric chair malfunctioned. Smith’s death marks the first known nitrogen gas execution. Mind you, the American Veterinary Medical Association said in its 2020 euthanasia guidelines that nitrogen hypoxia should not be used to kill most mammals and that rats who were exposed to nitrogen gas showed signs of “panic and distress” before they collapsed and died. Something something…cruel and unusual punishment…