The Hague and the ‘other voices’

The International Court of Justice may not have issued the ruling that South Africa wanted, that Israel is perpetrating genocide against the Palestinians. But its instruction that Israel prevent any acts that could constitute genocide, and that it ensures that aid gets to the people of Gaza, is a victory for the countries in the anti-Israel and anti-West bloc. It is a resounding notice that the people who until recently saw their fates determined by foreign powers will use the structures of international governance to make their presence felt. They declare that no longer will secret agreements determine the borders and fates of people, as the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916 shared the pieces of the Ottoman Empire between Britain and France. Today the people who were outside the halls where their fate was decided are challenging the West to apply the "rules-based order" against their...