Concerns over Israeli weaponization of aid shipments in its genocidal campaign in Gaza are not a new phenomenon. In May the spokesperson for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Jens Laerke, made this very point. Earlier this month Amnesty International wrote of Israel’s “continued [use of] starvation of civilians as a weapon of war against Palestinians” in Gaza. The organization emphasized the fact that as of mid-June, 852 trucks from UN and other humanitarian organizations remained across the border in Egypt, and only a fraction of aid gets through to those suffering in the Gaza Strip. Additionally, reports have surfaced about US contractors firing live ammunition as Gazans seek food and Israeli interception of Gaza-bound aid flotillas, according to AP News and CNN, respectively.
While outcries have been loud and persistent since Israel’s campaign began in the wake of the October 7th, 2023 terrorist attack by Hamas, little political weight has been thrown around to bring consequences to bear on Tel Aviv. This has largely been a result of the United States blocking any substantial effort which has been launched through traditional intergovernmental channels. This past week, however, two groupings of states came together to openly condemn Israel’s actions and to put in place mechanisms by which diplomatic and economic policies can be coordinated. The first came on July 16th by The Hague Group, a collection of nine founding countries from the Global South: Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Cuba, Honduras, Malaysia, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa. The second came on July 21st and consisted of a group of 28 mostly-European countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The Hague Group was founded in January this year to coordinate responses specifically targeted against Israel’s illegal and unjust actions in Gaza. A summit was held in Bogotá, Colombia from July 15th-16th and included 30 states, including the founding nine. Twelve agreed to a joint statement resolving to hold Israel accountable under international law, and gave other states a deadline of September 20th, 2025 to join the effort. The statement listed six measures to be taken collectively:
- Prevent the provision or transfer of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel;
- Prevent the transit, docking, and servicing of vessels at any port, if applicable, within our territorial jurisdiction;
- Prevent the carriage of arms, munitions, military fuel, related military equipment, and dual-use items to Israel on vessels bearing our flag, while being fully compliant with applicable international law including UNCLOS, ensuring full accountability, including de-flagging;
- Commence an urgent review of all public contracts, in order to prevent public institutions and public funds, where applicable, from supporting Israel’s illegal occupation of the Palestinian Territory;
- Comply with our obligations to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law through robust, impartial and independent investigations and prosecutions at national or international levels; and
- Support universal jurisdiction mandates, as and where applicable in our legal constitutional frameworks and judiciaries
The joint statement from the mostly Western group stated “The Israeli government’s aid delivery model is dangerous, fuels instability and deprives Gazans of human dignity.” While the statement does not outline specific, coordinated measures as did that of The Hague Group, the statement ends by keeping open the possibility of further action.
Atlas strongly supports these statements, especially that produced by The Hague Group. We applaud all the nations who have voiced deep concern over the situation in Gaza in general, and specifically that relating to the weaponization of aid by Israel. These statements are two small steps in the direction needed to stop the carnage which has already cost tens of thousands of lives and impacted so many more. While the statement by the Western countries is welcomed, pressure must be placed to bring active deliverables to bear on the Israeli state. We, therefore, encourage all countries of the world to adopt the measures agreed to by The Hague Group before the September, 2025 deadline. We also urge the citizens of the undersigned nations and all others to lobby, protest, and petition their governments to join with The Hague Group’s measures and to develop further steps which may be deemed necessary to bring an end to the conflict.
By Trent Trepanier
Photo: The Guardian