The report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry detailing that Israel committed acts amounting to genocide in the Gaza Strip marks a historic turning point in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The 72-page report not only condemns the violations, but also precisely identifies four key practices: killing, causing serious physical and psychological harm, imposing destructive living conditions aimed at destroying the Palestinian people, and imposing measures to prevent births within the group.
This characterization places Israel before one of the most serious charges in international law, as genocide is considered the “crime of crimes,” which obliges the international community not only to condemn it, but also to take immediate action to prevent it and punish its perpetrators.
Legal obligations of the international community
The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide clearly states that States Parties are obliged to work to prevent the crime and hold its perpetrators accountable. Therefore, the continued military or political support of Israel by some States may be interpreted as direct complicity.
The UN report also opens the door to multiple judicial avenues:
• The International Court of Justice, which is considering South Africa’s case against Israel.
• The International Criminal Court, which has the authority to prosecute Israeli political and military leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The report’s findings are not merely a human rights assessment, but a legal step paving the way for unprecedented accountability that could reach the highest levels of Israeli leadership.
Israel faces growing isolation from the UN report
Despite its categorical denial and accusations of bias against the commission, Israel finds itself facing a growing crisis of legitimacy. Major Israeli human rights organizations, in addition to academic voices in the West, have begun to adopt the same discourse of genocide. This reinforces Israel’s image as a state outside international law and weakens its ability to justify its policies to global public opinion.
In the past, South Africa faced total isolation because of its apartheid regime, and today a similar scenario looms for Israel, where human rights condemnation is compounded by political positions, paving the way for economic sanctions or broad diplomatic restrictions.
The US position remains the key test. Washington, which provides Israel with the most political and military support, finds itself in a difficult predicament:
• Internally, pressure is mounting from human rights organizations and voices within Congress that strongly criticize the Israeli government’s policies.
• Externally, the United States’ image as a defender of “human rights” is weakened by its support for a state accused of genocide.
As for Europe, its positions are divided: some countries, such as Spain and Ireland, are adopting a clear discourse demanding accountability, while others are exercising caution, fearing a clash with Washington or a loss of influence in the Middle East.
In contrast, the Global South sees the report as an opportunity to promote the discourse of international justice and highlight Western double standards, which could redraw the map of alliances within the United Nations.
Potential repercussions
If the condemnation and human rights reports continue, Israel may face a series of serious repercussions:
• Increased calls for a broad economic and academic boycott, especially in Western universities.
• Demands to stop arms exports to Israel, which are already beginning to appear in some European parliaments.
• Growing public pressure campaigns on Western governments to reconsider their relations with Tel Aviv.
The UN report also holds governments that support Israel accountable. History has shown that countries that ignore descriptions of genocide are often later accused of complicity or criminal silence.
The UN report is a crisis for the international system
The UN report does not only put Israel under the microscope, but also tests the credibility of the entire international system. If the international community fails to act to stop what the United Nations has described as “genocide,” international law will be seen as a powerless system, subject to the balance of power rather than the balance of justice.
Furthermore, the continuing contradiction between Western rhetoric on human rights and actual practice in Gaza will undermine global confidence in the existing system and give rising powers an excuse to challenge the Washington-led “liberal international order.”
A global wake-up call
The UN report on Gaza is not just another document to be added to the archives of the conflict; it is a global wake-up call. Israel is facing the most serious crisis of legitimacy in its history, and the West is facing an unprecedented moral and political test.
Either the international community takes serious action to stop the crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable, or history will record that the genocide took place in full view of the world, with a silence that amounts to complicity.
Featured image via the Canary
