On January 26, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that there was plausible evidence that Israel was committing genocide against the Palestinians. Some of us have known this for decades, although previously it was a slow, patient form of genocide.

This ruling was quite a blight on Israel’s image, considering the history of the Holocaust and the fact that Israel is a party to the 1948 Genocide Convention. The irony did not escape them. Lucky for them, the mainstream media largely ignored the headline. But Israel wasn’t going to take this lying down.

What did Israel do? Almost immediately they released a dubious claim that 12 members of UNRWA -- the United Nations Relief and Works Agency that provides humanitarian services, healthcare, and education to Palestinian refugees -- took part in the October 7th attack against Israel.

And the global response was swift. Several countries, including the US and UK who are staunch Israel allies, decided to suspend funding to UNRWA. At a time when the people of Gaza were already suffering immensely, these countries decided to intensify the suffering by cutting aid to the organization that provides vital services to them. The level of moral depravity we’re seeing is hard to believe.

To be clear, this was 12 people out of 30,000 workers. UNRWA took the decisive step of terminating these employees before even conducting an investigation. But wait... As of this writing, Israel has not even produced evidence proving that these workers actually took part in the attack. A rumor, basically, was enough to cut off funding to UNRWA. Yet despite the clear evidence of war crimes and intent of genocide by Israel, the US continues providing billions of dollars in military aid to Israel. What kind of a backwards world are we living in? And what of the 150+ UN workers killed by Israel in this war?

While the decision-makers are comfortable in their warm homes with ample food and clean water, innocent Palestinian civilians are hungry, thirsty, sick, injured, traumatized, and homeless. Shame on these wealthy countries.

Why the attack on UNRWA? Well, it’s nothing new. But this was a perfect opportunity for Israel to launch its latest attack. The big reason Israel has wanted to get rid of UNRWA is because the organization recognizes Palestinian refugees’ right to return. That is, Palestinians who survived the ethnic cleansing of 1948 and were made refugees, along with their descendants, have a right to return to their homes under UN Resolution 194.

The other reason for this timely attack was to multiply the suffering of the Palestinians, in direct contradiction to the ICJ’s demand that Israel ensure “aid and services reach Palestinians under siege in Gaza”. It was a way to slap the ICJ in the face for its ruling, and a way to stimulate further starvation and disease in Gaza. The end goal is to get rid of Palestinians and create settlements in Gaza.

I have to admit, the effectiveness of Israel’s propaganda is remarkable. Imagine being in the planning discussions for this one. They probably gave it a 50/50 chance of working, but it worked with flying colors. They couldn’t have timed it better, as it deflected attention from the ICJ ruling. Equally remarkable is Israel’s persistence in wiping out the Palestinians. Imagine, though, if all this money and effort was put towards something good.

Originally posted on https://maximumintifada.wordpress.com/