Podcast
47. Gaza: Is the global human rights system at risk?
Israel’s war on Gaza and its population has now been underway for 13 months. An estimated 42,000 Palestinians have died from the violence. A further 62,000 are reported to have died from starvation, and 5,000 more for lack of medical care and drugs. The vast majority of those who have lost their lives are women and children. Despite the clamor for powerful states to intervene and stop the killing, Israel’s campaign continues unimpeded. The International Court of Justice has advised that occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful and ordered provisional measures to avert genocide, yet governments seem paralyzed, unable to uphold international law despite their clear legal obligation to do. Can the international human rights system survive this failure?