AFTER three months of unfettered violence against the people of Palestine, Israel is finally being called to account for its genocidal actions by a global authority. 

On Jan 11, the settler occupier state was called to defend itself for the first time at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against accusations of genocide. 

The charges were brought by South Africa, a brave and symbolic move by a people that itself was a victim of the same kind of oppression that Palestinians are suffering now. 

The ICJ is the highest United Nations (UN) legal body that can adjudicate issues between member states. 

South Africa argued that Israel violated the 1948 Genocide Convention and that this was done deliberately and with intent to commit acts of genocide. 

At least 23,000 people, including almost 10,000 children, have been killed and more than 59,000 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct 7, when Gaza freedom fighters crossed over the wall and took hostages to negotiate the freedom of thousands of Palestinians being illegally held in Israeli prisons. 

Israel has a hard time denying the atrocities it is being accused of, thanks to the abundance of evidence recorded by brave Gazan reporters, at a cost of more than 100 of them so far. Even Israel newspapers provided evidence. And ironically Israeli soldiers themselves uploaded videos of their crimes. 

Their defence is to justify their actions by blaming the victims and claiming that their carpet bombing of civilians, hospitals and even safe places where the occupation forces told people to go, was “self-defence”. 

A decision will not be immediate, but South Africa has asked for the ICJ to order the Israel forces out of Gaza immediately and stop bombing civilians pending a judgement. 

But the findings of the ICJ, whether it’s for or against Israel, is not important for the rest of the sane world. 

Israel may just ignore any findings against it and put the onus on the international community to act. And we have seen how that has gone for the past 90 days, with 

powerful countries choosing to be hypocritical when it comes to their Zionist friends. 

That it has taken this long for the world to be able to drag the occupation state to any kind of accountability will be a testament to the power of Israel’s backers to defy logic and human decency to protect Israel from criticism of its murderous actions. 

Despite the daily evidence of atrocities presented almost in real-time to the world, the Western implant in the Middle East has blatantly ignored calls to stop the killings and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. 

Seemingly the rest of the world has been helpless in curtailing Israeli violence, thanks to active intervention of the US to stop any 

sort of action critical to Israel. Even at the UN Security Council (UNSC). Since 1945, a total of 36 UNSC draft resolutions related to Israel-Palestine have been vetoed by one of the five permanent members — the US, Russia, China, the UK and France. Out of these, 34 were vetoed by the US.

Israel has been able to indulge its wanton killings and oppression of Palestinians because it has been guaranteed a free pass to do what it wants without consequences. 

While a genocide of massive proportions is occurring in Occupied Palestine, it seems we could do nothing more than sending thoughts and prayers. 

It’s not about to end anytime soon. The US and its loyal Western supporters have begun bombing Yemen, for nothing else except to support Israel, who is hoping to let the Americans fight some of its enemies so that it can concentrate on oppressing Palestine. 

The Houthis of Yemen who are no stranger to being bombed by the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia, have refused to back down from its blockade of Israel-bound ships, and are not one for being cowed by the West. 

With the lack of any military reaction to help Gaza so far, the Houthi blockade is the single thing that has affected Israel. 

Israelis are feeling the effect of the Houthi actions even though it is not even close to what is being done to the Palestinians. 

The Israelis aren’t being deprived of any food, shelter and or medical supplies as a result of the Houthi blockade. If at all it is a minor inconvenience for them. They still get their goods but a little later and a little moreover expensive. No one is starving. 

In essence, the strongest military power in the world is waging a war against little Yemen just so that residents of Tel Aviv don’t have to pay a few more shekels for bread. 

The troubles that Israel has called upon itself will continue with or without the ICJ decision, no doubt, but we are coming that much closer to seeing to the end of this artificially created state. 

Meanwhile, the bombs are still falling on Palestine. Civilians are still being killed. They are still waiting for the world to rescue them. 

• ZB Othman is an editor of The Malaysian Reserve. 

• This article first appeared in The Malaysian Reserve weekly print edition