Genocide in Gaza: A UN Report and the Call for a Reassessment of India's Foreign Policy
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: International Relations (Key International Conventions - Genocide Convention; UN bodies and commissions; Israel-Palestine conflict; International Court of Justice - ICJ, International Criminal Court - ICC).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (International Relations): Important International institutions, agencies and fora—their structure, mandate; Effect of policies and politics of developed countries on India’s interests; India's evolving policy on the Israel-Palestine issue.
General Studies Paper 4 (Ethics): Ethical dimensions of foreign policy, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Key Highlights from the News
The UN Commission of Inquiry officially found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
The report states that Israel has committed four of the five crimes under the 1948 Genocide Convention and that Israeli leaders had a specific intent to destroy the Palestinian community.
This finding will strengthen the cases against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The article alleges that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political survival.
Due to strong US support, Israel ignores international laws. However, attitudes against Israel are changing among European countries.
India, which previously took a strong stance on the Palestinian issue, is now adopting an approach that hesitates to directly criticize Israel.
The article demands that India should respond more strongly on this issue and try to end the war, as an uncontrolled Israel that disregards international laws is contrary to India’s national interests.
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