[News] Palestinian Organizations Demand Inquiry Into UN Genocide Prevention Office’s Inexcusable Failure to Address Israel’s Ongoing Genocide in Gaza

[Anti-Imperialist News]

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Palestinian Organizations Demand Inquiry Into UN Genocide Prevention
Office’s Inexcusable Failure to Address Israel’s Ongoing Genocide in Gaza
7 February 2024

Palestinian human rights organizations, including Addameer, have penned a
letter addressed to the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, Mr. António
Guterres, expressing profound disappointment and calling for an inquiry
over the failure of the Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Ms.
Alice Wairimu Nderitu, to fulfill her mandate in addressing the ongoing
atrocities perpetrated by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza. This failure
includes neglecting to raise awareness about Israel’s ongoing,
four-months-long genocide against Palestinians in Gaza or, at the very
least, to the alarming risk of genocide; failing to acknowledge the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that Israel is plausibly
committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, along with the
provisional measures ordered for Israel; and refusing to engage
meaningfully, meet, or respond to requests from Palestinian human rights
organizations.

Such failure raises serious concerns about the impartiality of Ms. Nderitu
in fulfilling her role as Special Adviser, as well as her ability to resist
external political pressures, biases, or potential anti-Palestinian
sentiments. The principle of preventing genocide must be universally
applied, without any special allowances or exceptions for anyone, including
Israel.

The absence of any action or acknowledgement from the Special Adviser and
the UN Office on Genocide Prevention regarding ongoing genocide in Gaza is
deeply troubling. This stands in stark contrast to warnings issued by other
UN mechanisms and agencies. Urgent pleas and warnings for the prevention of
genocide have been voiced, as early as 19 October 2023, by tens of UN
independent experts, highlighting the imminent risk of genocide faced by
Palestinians in Gaza. The Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination (CERD) also expressed grave concerns about genocidal actions
and incitement targeting Palestinians by Israeli officials.

Over the past four months, the Special Adviser on the Prevention of
Genocide has issued many warning statements addressing different
situations. However, noticeably absent are statements addressing the
ongoing atrocities faced by 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, half of whom
are children. During Israel’s 51-day military aggression against Gaza in
2014, the then-Special Advisers on the Prevention of Genocide, Mr. Adama
Dieng, and on the Responsibility to Protect, Ms. Jennifer Welsh, issued a
public warning 18 days into the aggression, which concluded with Israel’s
killing of 2,219 Palestinians, including 566 children and 299 women. During
the ongoing genocide, in just one single week between 7 and 14 October
2023, Israel killed a comparable number of Palestinians: 2,215, including
724 children and 458 women.

On 26 January 2024, the ICJ found it plausible that Israel is committing
genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and other prohibited acts under the
Genocide Convention, recognizing the real and imminent risk of irreparable
harm to them. Remarkably, 12 days on, even the Court’s determination did
not elicit any reaction from the Special Adviser or the Office on Genocide
Prevention. Conversely, 36 UN independent experts and the High Commissioner
for Human Rights have called on Israel to fully implement the ICJ order.

Notably, when the ICJ issued provisional orders in the case of Ukraine v.
the Russian Federation concerning allegations of genocide, the Special
Adviser promptly issued a statement acknowledging the ICJ’s order within
two days. This stark contrast underscores the apparent double standards and
inconsistency in the Special Adviser’s approach to addressing different
genocidal situations.

Our repeated efforts to establish contact and schedule a meeting with the
Special Adviser or the Office on Genocide Prevention over the past four
months have been unsuccessful. On 2 December 2023, Palestinian
organizations penned a letter to the Special Adviser, articulating concerns
and seeking clarification on various matters, to which, no response has
been received. Since then, we endeavored to arrange an in-person meeting
with the Office on Genocide Prevention; however, it was regrettably
canceled at the last minute. Ever since, all of our written correspondences
have remained unanswered.

The gravity of the situation on the ground in Gaza and the urgency it
commands intensify our concerns that the Special Adviser is in dereliction
of her duties and responsibilities demanded by her mandate. The failure to
address the Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza has had devastating
consequences for the Palestinian people. Over the past four months, at
least 100,000 Palestinians have been killed, injured, or are missing,
constituting 4% of the total Gaza population. The humanitarian situation in
Gaza continues to deteriorate rapidly, with millions of Palestinians facing
displacement, starvation, and the collapse of essential services.

In light of these alarming developments, the joint letter urgently called
upon UN Secretary-General to conduct a thorough inquiry into the failure of
the Special Adviser and the Office on Genocide Prevention to fulfill their
mandates. The findings of this inquiry must be publicly disclosed, and
swift action must be taken to ensure that the Office on Genocide Prevention
is staffed with competent professionals capable of executing their mandates
impartially and effectively.

The UN has historically borne a specific responsibility towards the
Palestinian people, a responsibility that has consistently fallen short, as
our people continue to be denied their inalienable right to
self-determination, including their right to return.

The UN cannot afford to remain silent in the face of genocide. The
international community must act decisively to prevent further atrocities
and ensure accountability for those responsible for the ongoing crimes
against Palestinians in Gaza.
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