Relatives of Palestinians, who lost their lives following the Israeli attack on Nuseirat refugee camp, mourn as the bodies are brought to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah, Gaza on August 10, 2024.
An Urgent Question for ICC Judges: When Will You Act on Israel's War Crimes?
If you don't act now, what is the point of having the ICC?
Editor's note: The following is based on a social media post on Saturday, August 10, 2024 following news of the latest bombing of a school-turned-shelter in Gaza by Israeli military forces.
Dear International Criminal Court judges,
It is now beyond dispute: Israel has set out systematically to eliminate every aspect of Palestinian life in Gaza. It is not just the 186,000 lives that the Lancet estimates to have been lost. It is more than that.
You have already witnessed:
1. The most intensive bombing of any densely populated urban area in living memory
2. The most deliberately targeted starvation of a population in post-WW2 history
3. The greatest number of journalists killed in any war worldwide
4. The largest number of UN staff killed in 10 months.
And that's not all: Israel attacks schools, universities, libraries, archives, cultural centres, heritage sites, mosques and churches. It assassinates professors and slaughters teachers, along with their students—often their entire families too. When will you act?
If you don't act now, what is the point of having the ICC?
If you don't act now, is there a smidgeon of an iota of a possibility that anyone will take the ICC seriously in the future?
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just two days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Editor's note: The following is based on a social media post on Saturday, August 10, 2024 following news of the latest bombing of a school-turned-shelter in Gaza by Israeli military forces.
Dear International Criminal Court judges,
It is now beyond dispute: Israel has set out systematically to eliminate every aspect of Palestinian life in Gaza. It is not just the 186,000 lives that the Lancet estimates to have been lost. It is more than that.
You have already witnessed:
1. The most intensive bombing of any densely populated urban area in living memory
2. The most deliberately targeted starvation of a population in post-WW2 history
3. The greatest number of journalists killed in any war worldwide
4. The largest number of UN staff killed in 10 months.
And that's not all: Israel attacks schools, universities, libraries, archives, cultural centres, heritage sites, mosques and churches. It assassinates professors and slaughters teachers, along with their students—often their entire families too. When will you act?
If you don't act now, what is the point of having the ICC?
If you don't act now, is there a smidgeon of an iota of a possibility that anyone will take the ICC seriously in the future?
- Israel Accused of 'War Crime' After Bombing Ambulance Convoy Outside Gaza Hospital ›
- French Foreign Minister Rebuked for Suggesting Israel Is Immune From Genocide Charges ›
- 'Just Disgusting': Nikki Haley Writes 'Finish Them' on Israeli Bomb ›
- 'War Crimes Are War Crimes': Biden Rebuked for Decrying ICC Bid to Arrest Israeli Leaders ›
Editor's note: The following is based on a social media post on Saturday, August 10, 2024 following news of the latest bombing of a school-turned-shelter in Gaza by Israeli military forces.
Dear International Criminal Court judges,
It is now beyond dispute: Israel has set out systematically to eliminate every aspect of Palestinian life in Gaza. It is not just the 186,000 lives that the Lancet estimates to have been lost. It is more than that.
You have already witnessed:
1. The most intensive bombing of any densely populated urban area in living memory
2. The most deliberately targeted starvation of a population in post-WW2 history
3. The greatest number of journalists killed in any war worldwide
4. The largest number of UN staff killed in 10 months.
And that's not all: Israel attacks schools, universities, libraries, archives, cultural centres, heritage sites, mosques and churches. It assassinates professors and slaughters teachers, along with their students—often their entire families too. When will you act?
If you don't act now, what is the point of having the ICC?
If you don't act now, is there a smidgeon of an iota of a possibility that anyone will take the ICC seriously in the future?
- Israel Accused of 'War Crime' After Bombing Ambulance Convoy Outside Gaza Hospital ›
- French Foreign Minister Rebuked for Suggesting Israel Is Immune From Genocide Charges ›
- 'Just Disgusting': Nikki Haley Writes 'Finish Them' on Israeli Bomb ›
- 'War Crimes Are War Crimes': Biden Rebuked for Decrying ICC Bid to Arrest Israeli Leaders ›