Your Chance to Influence the UN Today

Regardless of your politics, I would hope that we could all agree that genocide is bad. That relentlessly bombing civilians is wrong. That an occupying force destroying places they occupy is unjust. That targeting medical personnel and journalists is immoral.

People have been marching and protesting around the world on behalf of Palestinians, including Jewish people who aren’t afraid to say that Israel is a state, not a representative of Jewish people around the world, and that anti-Zionist is not the same as antisemitic.

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South Africa Makes a Move

South Africa filed charges of genocide against Israel with the International Court of Justice . The International Court of Justice is the United Nations’ top court and rules on disputes between countries. Decisions made by the Court cannot be appealed, but unfortunately, the Court has no way to enforce its rulings.

The hearing against Israel begins Thursday, January 11, 2024. You can do something TODAY. Several countries have publicly backed South Africa, using the word genocide and condemning Israel’s continued bombing of Gaza.

BREAKING: Bolivia becomes the first Latin American country to endorse South Africa’s case before the International Court of Justice accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. pic.twitter.com/4HJyUxybRn

More than 900 movements and organizations have signed an open letter calling for states to support South Africa’s case against Israel.

BREAKING: More than 900 popular movements, unions, political parties, and other organizations have signed an open letter calling on states to support South Africa's Genocide Convention case against Israel. pic.twitter.com/ifIdveA5ti

One Israeli lawmaker and about 200 other Israeli citizens have signed the petition supporting the hearings.

He posted on Twitter, “My constitutional duty is to Israeli society and all its residents, not to a government whose members and its coalition are calling for ethnic cleansing and even actual genocide. They are the ones who harm the country and the people, they are the ones who led to South Africa’s appeal to The Hague, not me and my friends.”

“When the government acts against society, the state, and its citizens, especially when it sacrifices them and commits crimes in their name on the altar of maintaining its existence, it is my right and even my duty to warn about this and do everything I can within the law to stop it.”

“I will not give up the fight for our existence as a moral society. This is true patriotism…not unnecessary bloodshed, and not sacrificing kidnapped citizens and soldiers in senseless wars.”

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Israel responded by accusing South Africa of “being complicit with Hamas” and saying history will judge South Africa’s leaders.

Israel accuses South Africa of being “complicit with Hamas’ campaign of Genocide against our people”- saying “We assure South Africa's leaders, history will judge you”. Govt spox added that Israel will appear at ICJ where SA has filed a case accusing Israel of genocidal acts. pic.twitter.com/WCZrgBsMCc

In case you haven’t seen or heard, Israeli officials have been openly and blatantly stating that their goal is for all Palestinians to be removed from the land.

What You Can Do Today

I’ve been searching for ways to make a difference right where I am. If you know me, you know that’s what I tell people who want to make change. You don’t have to go around the world or come up with huge, seemingly impossible plans. Do what you can right where you are. I found a way to make my voice heard. I emailed just about every country in the UN, urging them to support South Africa’s claim. I plan to email the judges as well to let them know this one person believes Israel should face consequences for genocide.

I follow an independent journalist on Twitter (I’m still not calling it X), Sam Husseini , who has been following things closely and reporting on what’s not included in the mainstream media. His latest substack post on the global solidarity with South Africa includes a letter of support, slightly modified from the one used by World Beyond War that anyone can share. I added my own first paragraph and sent it to every country. There is a Spanish version and a French version for the countries that speak those languages.

A volunteer put together a spreadsheet of each country, their representatives and email addresses, their language, as well as their stance on Israel/Palestine. They’ve even included contact information for the judges on the International Court of Justice.

If you have a few minutes and email access, copy and paste the letter. You don’t have to add an opening paragraph like I did. Copy and paste a few email addresses, using BCC (blind carbon copy). That way any auto responses come to you only and not to everyone on the list. If you know you don’t have time to do them all, scroll the list and choose which ones feel important to you. Do you want to support the folks most likely to vote with South Africa to let them know you stand with them? Do you want to let those on the fence know that the world is waiting for them to side with life instead of violence? It’s up to you. But this is a way to do something besides post on social media.

It might not feel like much, but every voice adds to the choir. Make yours heard.

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