A call for international action against Israel’s policies in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has emerged, following a UN resolution that demands investigations, sanctions, and cessation of arms. With a 12-month deadline established, nations face a moral obligation to act against what is viewed as unlawful behavior by Israel, led by Netanyahu. Some countries have begun imposing trade restrictions, recognizing the importance of aligning economic actions with moral responsibilities. Failure to respond risks further complicity in ongoing atrocities and weakens the global legal order essential for protecting vulnerable nations.
In September 2024, when we voted for the United Nations general assembly resolution on Israel's policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, we assumed concrete obligations: investigations, prosecutions, sanctions, asset freezes, and cessation of imports and arms. That resolution set a deadline of 12 months for Israel to bring to an end without delay its unlawful presence.
While we may face threats of retribution when we stand up for international law, as South Africa discovered when the United States retaliated against its case at the international court of justice, the consequences of abdicating our responsibilities will be dire.
If we fail to act now, we not only betray the Palestinian people, we become complicit in the atrocities committed by Netanyahu's government. Some governments have already stepped up. My government suspended coal exports to Israel, for example, recognizing that economic ties cannot be divorced from moral responsibilities.
Without such decisive action, we risk turning the multilateral system into a talking shop, stripping the legal order of its remaining protections for small, developing and less privileged nations from west Asia to right here in Latin America.
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