Reacting to Ireland’s decision to intervene in two genocide cases at the International Court of Justice, Stephen Bowen, Executive Director of Amnesty Ireland said, “It offers some glimmer of hope for international justice that states such as Ireland are coming forward to intervene in these crucial cases. Past impunity for atrocity crimes, including genocide, fuels the atrocities we see before our eyes today, especially in Gaza.
“While we welcome Ireland’s actions, we demand more. We encourage them to be bolder, as the long-term importance of this crucial international justice intervention must sit alongside immediate and visible actions, in concert with other likeminded states, to stop the slaughter. The self-imposed powerlessness of states must end. Those like Ireland who have called for a ceasefire must join with other like-minded states to create this common platform to end the genocide. They must be resolute; they must be relentless; they must be loud, clear and visible. This is genocide. This must stop.
“We again call for an immediate ceasefire. States must be compelled to stop the transfer of weapons to Israel, and Israel’s allies must exert their pressure for full and unimpeded access for life-saving food and supplies with immediate effect. Every effort must be made to achieve these measures now, and certainly before Christmas. Ireland must use its leverage to full effect when a people are being starved by a state induced famine in the midst of a genocide. Ireland can do more, and it can do that in concert with others – visibly, firmly, and proudly. History demands it of us.” END