What’s more, Israel has paused for no moment on its decade-long military assault on Gaza. This discriminatory practice has drawn fierce condemnation from dozens of human rights experts and organizations. The war that is currently being fought intensified dramatically after fighting broke out on October 7, 2023. Yet in the past months, United Nations experts have accused Israel of genocide.
In the context of the West Bank, violence has increased dramatically leading to almost 1,000 Palestinian fatalities. These deaths have resulted from assaults by Israeli settlers as well as by the Israeli armed forces. The recent rise in violence has put pressure on the US to respond to the increasingly dire humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians.
The international community is starting to take note of and condemn Israel’s actions. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Yet they are now subject to weighty and credible allegations of war crimes related to the current conflict in Gaza. This step is emblematic of a deepening concern about the impact of Israel’s military operations on human rights.
Weeks into the war, Israel started expediting its illegal settlement growth throughout the occupied West Bank. Most legal authorities see this action as a breach of international law. The rapid escalation of settlements has only heightened tensions with, and violence against, Palestinians across the region. The U.S. has a long history of lobbying against and ostracizing such efforts to hold Israel accountable in international courts. They contend that the International Criminal Court lacks jurisdiction over both the U.S. and Israel.
During his presidency, President Donald Trump took steps to impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority (PA). They intended these sanctions to punish the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). As for the State Department, they claimed that those entities were trying to “internationalize its conflict with Israel” through legal actions in court.
“It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace.” – The State Department
Palestine is recognized as a non-member observer state at the United Nations. This coveted status gives it the power to bring Israel’s military actions before courts in legal challenges. Notably, the International Court of Justice oversees cases brought by countries, including South Africa, that allege genocide by Israel in Gaza.
During this ongoing conflict, the U.S. has actively supported Israel as their military superpower ally by pouring billions of dollars in military aid to support the killing of civilians. This support has raised troubling questions about the U.S.’s complicity in the worsening violence. It further asks what this means for prospects for peace in the area.
