A woman holds a sign that reads: 'Free Palestine from German guilt' in reference to Germany's unequivocal support for Israel.
United Nations, January 15 (RHC)-- United Nations experts and rapporteurs have taken Germany to task for defending Israel’s genocidal war against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Balakrishnan Rajagopal, a UN special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, censured the German move as “shocking” after Berlin became the first country to legally intervene on Israel's behalf at the Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) and defend the occupying regime’s months-long war on Gaza.
During the ICJ’s two days of hearings earlier in the week, South Africa instituted proceedings that accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians and said the regime’s aggression aimed to bring about "the destruction of the population" of Gaza.
German officials had previously rejected the accusation of genocide brought against Israel by the international community and claimed that the brutal aggression was part of “self-defense” against the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas. “Shocking abdication of all responsibility by Germany,” Balakrishnan wrote on his X social media account.
“May better angels prevail,” he added. “Germany should be supporting efforts to enforce the Genocide Convention, not oppose it.”
Tlaleng Mofokeng, UN special rapporteur on the right to health, criticized Germany for trying to prevent Israel from being tried for crimes it has been committing with its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip. “The state (Germany) that committed more than one genocide throughout its history is trying to undermine the efforts of a country (South Africa) that is a victim of colonialism and apartheid, to protect another genocide and an occupying nuclear power (Israel),” Mofokeng said on X. “Germany? Are you for real? We hope you can do better!!,” she added.
Francesca Albanese, UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights, also wrote on X that, “Those trying to save Palestinians are not Arab countries, ‘brothers of blood’, not Western countries, promoters of human rights, but a country who shares a history of oppression/apartheid.” “Because of it is own history, Germany should not obstruct it,” she wrote.
Since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza in early October, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has blocked demonstrations of support for Palestine in the European country. More than 100 pro-Palestinian rallies were not allowed in Germany, while in the capital, students were banned from carrying Palestinian shawls and stickers with Palestinian flags on them.
The Israeli regime waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups carried out the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s atrocities against Palestinians.
Since the start of the aggression, Israel has killed more than 23,843 Palestinians, mostly women and children. Nearly 60,317 Palestinians have also been wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The Tel Aviv regime has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.
