{"id":58163,"date":"2025-01-15T16:28:03","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T21:28:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/?p=58163"},"modified":"2025-01-21T11:57:37","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T16:57:37","slug":"3rd-thursday-action-alert-call-on-the-us-senate-to-uphold-international-law-and-affirm-the-mandate-of-the-international-court-of-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/3rd-thursday-action-alert-call-on-the-us-senate-to-uphold-international-law-and-affirm-the-mandate-of-the-international-court-of-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"3rd Thursday Action Alert: Call on the US Senate to uphold international law and affirm the mandate of the International Criminal Court"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the calendar has flipped to 2025, and with the announcement of a cease fire deal this week, Israel\u2019s decimation of Gaza has continued.  Every day, tens of new Palestinian deaths have been reported.  Officially, more than 46,000 Palestinians<\/a> are confirmed to have been killed by Israel\u2019s military campaign, which has lasted more than 15 months since October 2023.  According to The Lancet<\/em>, though, that number is significantly under-reported<\/a>, with at least 40% more estimated to have been killed as a result of violence than the official numbers.  By October, a year into the campaign, The Lancet<\/em> suggests that at least 70,000 would have been killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This winter season has been especially difficult so far, with frigid cold temperatures, rain, and winds, from which make-shift shelter is unable to protect Palestinians who have been displaced and whose homes and communities have been destroyed.  More than 80 Palestinian babies have died of hypothermia<\/a> this winter already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical facilities in Gaza have almost completely been destroyed.  In late December, the World Health Organization stated<\/a>, \u201cThe systematic dismantling of the health system and a siege for over 80 days on North Gaza puts the lives of the 75,000 Palestinians remaining in the area at risk.\u201d  On Dec. 29, 2024, al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, was hit by an Israeli missile<\/a>, further damaging an already debilitated hospital which has been forced to evacuate patients and staff multiple times.  The UN has found that Israel\u2019s destruction of Gaza\u2019s healthcare system disregards <\/a>international law<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as a former Hamas commander (presumed already to have been killed<\/a>).  The two Israelis were found by the court<\/a> to \u201cbear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the swearing in and seating of the 119th Congress, the US House of Representatives passed on Jan. 9 the \u201cIllegitimate Court Counteraction Act\u201d (HR 23<\/a>), a bill that<\/a> \u201cwould sanction any officials with the court, or entities supporting the ICC, who seek to investigate, arrest or detain any U.S. citizen or citizen of an allied country.\u201d  It is now headed to the Senate, amid opposition<\/a> by many churches, faith-based groups, and other civil society agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A ceasefire is only a first step.  It will not immediately end the horrible conditions in which Palestinians live.  Israel\u2019s leaders must be held accountable for their crimes, and the ICC is the appropriate body to do so.  Contact your Senators and urge them to oppose this bill, and to allow the ICC to fulfill its function as an independent source of justice, upholding international law<\/strong>, which is necessary to ensure the implementation of a ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sample letter (click here to find how to contact your senator<\/a>):<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Senator _______,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the calendar has flipped to 2025, as a person of faith, and with the announcement of a cease fire deal this week, I continue to be troubled by Israel\u2019s decimation of Gaza.  Officially, more than 46,000 Palestinians are confirmed to have been killed by Israel\u2019s military campaign since October 2023, although The Lancet<\/em> suggests that number is significantly under reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This winter season has been especially difficult so far, with frigid cold temperatures, rain, and winds.  Palestinians who have been displaced and whose homes and communities cannot find adequate shelter.  More than 80 Palestinian babies have died of hypothermia this winter already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical facilities in Gaza have almost completely been destroyed.  The World Health Organization has described Israel\u2019s destruction of the health system in Gaza as a \u201csystematic dismantling,\u201d and the United Nations says that Israel has disregarded international law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 2024, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as a former Hamas commander (presumed already to have been killed).  The two Israelis were found by the court to \u201cbear criminal responsibility for the following crimes as co-perpetrators for committing the acts jointly with others: the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Jan. 9, the House of Representatives passed the \u201cIllegitimate Court Counteraction Act\u201d (HR 23), which \u201cwould sanction any officials with the court, or entities supporting the ICC, who seek to investigate, arrest or detain any U.S. citizen or citizen of an allied country.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel\u2019s leaders must be held accountable for their crimes, and the ICC is the appropriate body to do so.  I write to urge you to oppose this bill in the Senate, and to allow the ICC to fulfill its function as an independent source of justice, upholding international law<\/strong>, which is necessary to ensure the implementation of a ceasefire.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Faithfully,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the calendar has flipped to 2025, and with the announcement of a cease fire deal this week, Israel\u2019s decimation of Gaza has continued.  Every day, tens of new Palestinian deaths have been reported.  Officially, more than 46,000 Palestinians are … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20176,"featured_media":38276,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[],"topic":[20282,20450,20278,20417],"region":[20025,20022],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n3rd Thursday Action Alert: Call on the US Senate to uphold international law and affirm the mandate of the International Criminal Court - Global Ministries<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.globalministries.org\/3rd-thursday-action-alert-call-on-the-us-senate-to-uphold-international-law-and-affirm-the-mandate-of-the-international-court-of-justice\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3rd Thursday Action Alert: Call on the US Senate to uphold international law and affirm the mandate of the International Criminal Court - 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