Lawyers sound warning over risk of genocide in Gaza

The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), founded in 1966 to provide legal support for the civil rights movement, published an emergency briefing paper to coincide with President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel this week.

The paper argues that the US is breaching its obligations under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide by failing to call for a ceasefire, an end to Israeli military actions, and access to food, water, medical supplies and other essentials for Palestinians.

It goes on to stress the urgent need to address the root causes of the current catastrophe, especially the 16-year closure of Gaza, the 56-year illegal occupation, and the “apartheid regime Israel administers across historic Palestine”.

“The emergency briefing paper will be submitted to national and international stakeholders, including the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, and the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court,” CCR said. “It will also be sent to President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and other US officials and relevant agencies.”

The intervention comes after the UK-based International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP) wrote to the UK’s ruling Conservatives and opposition Labour Party to warn that the UK could be complicit in Israeli war crimes.

It said: “Now that there is clear evidence that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been carried out, and politicians have been formally notified of this, continuation of… support and assistance would mean that any politicians, including senior members of the opposition, could be complicit in the commission of such crimes.”