Genocide Convention:
A UN commission has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
- Accusing leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of incitement. The panel, led by Navi Pillay, found Israeli forces guilty of four of the five genocidal acts under the 1948 Genocide Convention killing, causing serious harm, creating destructive living conditions, and preventing births citing explicit statements by officials as proof of intent. Israel rejected the findings as “distorted and false,” demanding the commission’s abolition.
- Meanwhile, the Israeli military launched a new ground offensive in Gaza City, advancing on the territory’s largest urban center.
- 1948 Genocide Convention is Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (CPPCG).
- Adopted by the UN General Assembly on 9 December 1948 (Resolution 260 A (III)); entered into force on 12 January 1951.
- First human rights treaty of the UN era, aimed at preventing and punishing genocide in times of peace or war.
- Definition of Genocide (Article II): Certain acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, including:
- Killing members of the group.
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm.
- Inflicting living conditions to bring about destruction.
- Preventing births within the group.
- Forcibly transferring children of the group.
- States must prevent and punish genocide, whether committed by state actors or individuals.
- Punishment (Article IV): Applies to constitutionally responsible rulers, officials, and private individuals.
- Court jurisdiction: Cases may be tried in national courts or before an international tribunal (like the International Court of Justice, as seen in Bosnia v. Serbia, The Gambia v. Myanmar).
